LOS ANGELES_The seventh inning of Friday's Los Angeles Dodgers game against Arizona contained enough twists to underscore the growing concern about the team's bullpen, and enough turns to remind why this club continues to surge toward a playoff spot.
In the top of the inning, the Dodgers squandered a three-run lead and allowed the Diamondbacks to hang seven runs on the board. In the bottom of the inning, Joc Pederson and Chase Utley each hit a two-run home run, pulling the game even. Yasmani Grandal pushed his club back ahead with an RBI single, and Corey Seager's RBI double in the eighth was the final touch in a 9-7 win.
The seventh inning enlivened an otherwise tidy affair. Kenta Maeda departed with one out in the seventh, having held the Diamondbacks to one run and four hits. His teammates in the bullpen had worse luck.
After Adam Liberatore walked the only batter he faced, Joe Blanton allowed a pair of bloop singles and then walked in the tying run. Luis Avilan sprawled in the grass to corral a ground ball, only to find first base uncovered, and Arizona's Michael Bourn credited with a go-ahead single. To complete the misery, Paul Goldschmidt walloped a three-run double off Pedro Baez.
The sequence underscored the growing sense of unease regarding the Dodgers' bullpen. The group anchored the team during the first two months of the summer. But a combination of fatigue and regression has made the various members of the unit vulnerable in recent weeks _ which is why the Dodgers are expected to pursue bullpen help before Monday's trade deadline.
Liberatore played a small role in Friday's fiasco. But he lacked the precision he showed earlier in the summer. A streak of 28 scoreless appearances ended for Liberatore on Sunday in St. Louis. Sidelined since then with soreness in his knee, Liberatore added to the pressure facing Blanton.
The meltdown blotted over away all the other events from the evening. The Dodgers established the lead thanks to a two-run double by Pederson in the second and an RBI double by Andrew Toles in the fourth.
Two weeks ago, the Diamondbacks punished Maeda for five runs and booted him from the game in the fifth inning. This time, he was nearly flawless until the seventh inning.
