MIAMI — When the Dodgers acquired Lance Lynn at the trade deadline, they were convinced his league-leading total of home runs allowed were a bug in the system that they could fix.
Turns out, it’s a feature.
Lynn gave up three home runs in the fifth inning Wednesday night, running his league-leading total to 40 home runs allowed this season, as the Dodgers lost to the Miami Marlins, 11-4.
The Marlins scored nine times in that fifth inning and have outscored the Dodgers 17-7 in winning the first two games of this series. The nine-run inning was the most scored against the Dodgers since the Arizona Diamondbacks also scored nine runs in the eighth inning of a game at Chase Field on April 21, 2017.
“We didn’t pitch well and I just think we didn’t play good baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
That has been a theme since the calendar turned to September.
After marauding through August, the Dodgers have stalled out in September, losing four of their first five games this month and scoring a total of 15 runs in those games after averaging six runs per game in August.
“I don’t think there’s a letdown,” Roberts said. “I think there was a really good series with the Braves, and they won three of four. But these guys (the Marlins) are fighting for their lives right now. You see that energy. But I don’t think that’s a letdown. I thought we were in control until we weren’t. I don’t think it’s a letdown.”
Lynn became the first MLB pitcher to allow 40 home runs in a season since Mike Leake allowed 41 for the Seattle Mariners and Diamondbacks in 2019.
“I mean, once you go over 30, who gives a (expletive)?” said Lynn who had given up more than 20 home runs in a season just twice in his first 11 big-league seasons, topping out at 27 with the Cardinals in 2017. “You’re just trying to make pitches. It’s just kind of one of those years where they come in bunches. It’s been the worst of my career, home-run wise. Bad pitch selection, bad execution. Everything that could go bad has gone bad when they’ve had the opportunity.”
Lynn gave up just four home runs in his first four starts with the Dodgers but has now allowed eight home runs in his past 15 innings – and 15 runs in nine innings over his past two starts.
“Both of them have been the same situation,” Lynn said. “Not putting people away when I need to. Walking guys. Then it turns into a big inning. Give them extra baserunners, make mistakes, big-league hitters are gonna hurt you. They’ve hurt me bad.”
The ticking couldn’t be heard through the first four innings Wednesday night. Lynn allowed just one hit in that time – a bunt single by Jazz Chisholm Jr.
But the fifth inning began with a double by Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings. It wasn’t a good sign when No. 9 hitter Joey Wendle – with just one home run in his first 285 plate appearances this season – launched a two-run home run to right field.
After back-to-back walks and a fly ball out, Chisholm took Lynn deep for a three-run homer. Two batters later, Jesus Sanchez sent the third home run of the inning into the seats, the sparseness of the crowd protecting everyone from injury during the barrage.
“Mistakes. Got behind. Didn’t put anybody away with two strikes. Walked a couple guys,” Lynn recounted. “Just an absolute disaster. I blew up. Can’t happen. Got to be better. I know that. I’ve pitched way too long to have an inning like that.”
Roberts acknowledged that the Dodgers acquired Lynn “to get him deep into games to save the ‘pen.” But Lynn might be pitching with too much of “a governor,” trying to do that.
“I think we’ll have a conversation to dig through some things,” Roberts said. “But I don’t know the reason for the last couple starts.”
Primarily acquired to eat up innings down the stretch, the Dodgers’ best-laid plans would not have involved Lynn starting postseason games for them. Given the state of their starting pitching currently, they might have to.
“Yeah, I think we can,” Roberts said when asked if Lynn could be trusted to make a start in October. “It’s just more of seeing that high-end stuff from pitch one. I think that’s something, to the question of the postseason, it’s not about a governor. It’s about every pitch, every out is important. So yeah, I think we can. Where we’re at, we’re gonna have to lean on him a little bit too.”
Four more hits including a two-run double by Luis Arraez followed before the nine-run inning was over.
Lynn arrived from the Chicago White Sox having allowed 2.1 home runs per nine innings. In seven starts with the Dodgers, he is giving them up at an even faster rate – 2.7 per nine innings.
“It’s just one of those years,” Lynn said. “There’s gonna be those things. I’ve had years where I don’t give up any and I’ve been way worse of a pitcher. That’s the crazy part about this game. This is what baseball is now and this is what people want. You just got to learn to adapt.”
Lynn’s implosion overshadowed another episode in Jason Heyward’s summer of rebirth. Out of the game a year ago at this time, Heyward was 3 for 4 Wednesday with a solo home run (his 14th of the season) for the Dodgers’ only run. Over his past eight games, Heyward is 12 for 25 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
And in the bottom of the fourth, he protected the 1-0 lead he had given the Dodgers by making a leaping catch at the wall in right field, robbing Xavier Edwards of an extra-base hit with the bases loaded.
An error by Wendle and a two-run home run by James Outman in the ninth inning allowed the Dodgers to score more than three runs in a game for the first time this month.