David Peralta’s clutch hit completes Dodgers’ 2-game sweep of Diamondbacks

PHOENIX — The Dodgers have been crushing dreams in the National League West for a decade now. They’re doing it again.

They stopped in San Diego and Arizona over the past week, visiting two teams hoping to use the games against the National League West leaders to resuscitate their seasons and become the contenders they aspire to be.

The Dodgers squashed the Padres’ hopes with three wins in the four-game series there then moved on to Arizona where they swept the Diamondbacks, ending the two-game series with a 2-0 win on Wednesday night, their eighth win in the past nine games including five of six on this trip.

The Dodgers left both teams under .500 and trailing by double digits in the division, relegated to fringe status in the disorderly scrum that is the National League wild-card race.

“There’s road trips where you go into it and you’re like, ‘Oh, we can just play good baseball and see what happens.’ Then there’s road trips where it’s like, ‘Let’s play good baseball and take care of business,’” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “We were able to do that. We went into San Diego and took care of business. Came here and did the same thing. We’re just playing good baseball, firing on all cylinders, pitching and hitting right now.”

David Peralta delivered the knockout blow to his former team Wednesday night.

A scoreless tie going into the eighth inning with nothing going after the first two batters were retired, the Dodgers’ game-winning rally started when Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo brought in lefty reliever Kyle Nelson to face Freeman. Freeman bounced the by-the-book move onto the pool deck in right field.

“On paper that’s what you’re kind of supposed to do. I was kind of expecting it,” Freeman said. “I saw him warming up the prior inning so I did my research before he even came in. Little different, because usually he’s a big slider guy and he went heater, heater. I was just trying to get something up. I was looking up. And was able to get a heater into the gap.”

The ground-rule double was followed by another by-the-book move – an intentional walk of Will Smith. After Max Muncy drew another walk to load the bases, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went against the book.

He opted not to pinch-hit for the left-handed Peralta – a move that would have undoubtedly been countered by Lovullo bringing right-hander Miguel Castro in to face either Kiké Hernandez or Amed Rosario (Roberts’ right-handed bench options).

“They had Castro looming. So I’ve got to make a decision – do I want David to take that at-bat against Nelson? Or do I want Kiké to take that at-bat versus Castro?” Roberts said. “I just felt that David was in the game. He’s been hanging in there against lefties. I don’t think Nelson has a wipeout slider. I thought David’s gonna put the ball in play. So I went with it, and to his credit, he took a good at-bat and won the game for us.”

Peralta has hardly faced left-handed pitching this season. But he has been successful when he has – seven singles in 23 at-bats before Wednesday. He was successful again, slapping a 2-and-1 sinker from Nelson into right field to drive in two runs. Nelson faced four hitters, three of them left-handed, and retired none.

Peralta acknowledged he was looking over his shoulder, expecting to see a pinch-hitter coming up the steps to replace him.

“Oh yeah. But when you look over at the dugout, (Roberts was) like, ‘Yup, you got it,’” he said. “That’s what I needed, his trust. He’s been giving it to me. I really appreciate that one.”

The late rally cashed in a solid start from rookie Bobby Miller.

The Dodgers are looking for signs of growth from Miller in each start – signs that could determine the size of his postseason role. He grew large at the right times Wednesday, holding the Diamondbacks scoreless on four hits while pitching into the seventh inning.

Miller walked the first batter in the fourth and fifth innings and had two runners on with one out in the fourth and no outs in the fifth. He escaped damage both times.

“It was probably for me, start to finish, his best outing,” Roberts said. “I just thought from pitch one, each pitch, each throw was for a purpose.”

The Dodgers had more traffic – six hits and a walk in the first six innings – but did no damage against Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly before he left with an injury in the seventh.

Roberts sent Miller out for the seventh inning – the first time a rookie has pitched into the seventh for the Dodgers since Tony Gonsolin in September 2020. He put the first two runners on again, giving up a leadoff single and then walking Jose Herrera while Herrera was trying to lay down a bunt.

Miller didn’t get a chance to pitch out of this one. Caleb Ferguson did it for him. Ferguson made a sprawling catch when Perdomo popped up a bunt attempt and doubled the runner off second. Carroll grounded out to end the Diamondbacks’ last threat.

“When the ball was put in play it was just a reaction,” Ferguson said. “I saw the ball in the air, go get it kind of thing. I think what I was more happy about was I finally threw the ball to a base without throwing it into the outfield. That’s the big takeaway for me.”

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David Peralta’s clutch hit completes Dodgers’ 2-game sweep of Diamondbacks – Daily News

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