LOS ANGELES_Inside an office at SunTrust Park, a brand-new stadium situated in the suburbs of Atlanta, Braves general manager John Coppolella engaged in what has become an annual ritual. He apologized to his fans for trading Alex Wood to the Dodgers.
Coppolella did not engage in dramatics. No news conference was required _ the industry understands how the Dodgers benefited from the deal. Coppolella was responding to a fan on Twitter on Friday morning. His tone was blunt.
The complicated three-team trade that brought Wood to Los Angeles in the summer of 2015 was, in Coppolella's words, "terrible" for his team. "Alex is a tremendous pitcher," he wrote, "and an even better person." Stunned and saddened by the deal two years ago, Wood has recovered to establish himself as a vital cog for the Dodgers, a pitcher who logged 71/3 scoreless innings in a 7-2 victory over Miami on Friday night.
The outing extended a recent string of dominance: Wood (5-0, 1.88 ERA) has strung together 201/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He induced a slew of ground outs Friday. The defense behind him turned four double plays. He had not pitched this deep into a game since Sept. 16, 2016.
Unbowed by an injury to third baseman Justin Turner, the Dodgers (25-18) turned to their vaunted, venerated depth to collect a third consecutive victory. Chris Taylor and Brett Eibner began the season in triple-A Oklahoma City. When Logan Forsythe returns from the disabled list Tuesday, Taylor could see his playing time decrease and Eibner could return to the Pacific Coast League. On Friday, though, both delivered home runs, before Cody Bellinger launched a two-run shot in the eighth.
The teams saved some histrionics for the end. After Bellinger went deep, Marlins reliever A.J. Ramos drilled Eibner. In response, Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling threw behind Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. The benches cleared, and within the ensuing scrum, Marlins manager Don Mattingly bulled toward Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren. Stripling, Geren and Mattingly all were ejected.
It is unclear how the drama might affect the rest of the series. The discrepancy in talent between the two clubs has already become clear.
The trio of Wood, Taylor and Eibner underscored the low-profile acquisitions who have allowed the Dodgers to survive injuries to veterans (Turner, Forsythe, Andre Ethier) and whiffs on the free-agent market (Scott Kazmir). The maneuvers demonstrate the organization's ability to boost the margins of its roster.
The team acquired Taylor from Seattle for Zach Lee, a former first-round pick who entered Friday with a 5.62 earned-run average in the minors. For Eibner, the Dodgers sent infielder Jordan Tarsovich to Oakland. Tarsovich was hitting .200 in double A heading into Friday. And the agitation inspired by Wood's departure in Atlanta is well-known.
On Friday, Wood was making his first start since being named National League player of the week for his efforts last week. He had struck out 21 batters in two outings. The performance earned him another start, despite his team's overcrowded rotation. When Kenta Maeda comes off the disabled list next week, the Dodgers will again be juggling seven pitchers for five spots. Manager Dave Roberts has not tipped his hand on how the team will handle the logjam.
On Friday, Wood did not strike out a batter until the third inning. By then, his teammates had already provided a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers scratched a first-inning run off Justin Nicolino, a spindly, 25-year-old left-hander making his second start in 2017. Austin Barnes nudged an RBI groundout down the first-base line with the bases loaded.
Taylor had started the first-inning sequence with a leadoff double. He ended up being thrown out at the plate two batters later. In the third, he devised a way to avoid a repeat: When Nicolino spotted a fastball on the outside of the plate, Taylor drove the ball to right field. Stanton, Miami's 6-foot-6 cornerstone, scaled the wall. His outstretched frame could not prevent the fifth homer of the year for Taylor.
A double by Corey Seager kept Nicolino reeling. Two batters later, Enrique Hernandez chopped a groundball up the middle. The ball slipped past Nicolino. Former Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon dived in vain. The single trickled into the outfield as Seager scored.
Yasiel Puig led off the fourth inning with a walk, despite wincing on a check swing and requiring an inspection from the training staff at first base. Eibner came up with one out. He had homered six days earlier, only to get optioned to the minors two days later. Now he crushed a 90-mph fastball from Nicolino for a two-run shot.
The game complicated any plans for Eibner's departure. Puig left the game after the inning because of back tightness.
Roberts allowed Wood to start the eighth. The Marlins gained traction with a pair of singles. After a line out by Christian Yelich, Roberts left the dugout to retrieve the baseball from Wood. The crowd leapt to its feet to salute his evening.
