The Dodgers on Friday suffered a walk-off for the third time in their last four road games, giving them 10 such losses this season.
That’s the most by the team since 2015, when the Dodgers were walked off a dozen times. The most walk-off losses since moving to Los Angeles was in 1992, with a whopping 15 such losses. That’s more understandable considering that team lost 99 games. In the Dodgers’ 68 seasons in Los Angeles, they’ve averaged 7.5 walk-off losses per season.
The bulk of Dodgers walk-off
losses have come month or so, with five walk-off losses in their last 16 road games — August 12 at the Angels in 10 innings, August 18 against the Rockies, September 5 and 6 against the Orioles, then Friday in San Francisco.
Tanner Scott has been the pitcher walking off the mound in each of the last three walk-off losses, and his struggles have been well-documented. But there are many facets to a game, like the Dodgers scoring only one run in 10 innings in Friday’s series opener, for instance.
The Dodgers have scored three or fewer runs eight times in their last 13 games, averaging just 3.46 runs during that stretch. On the season the Dodgers are 12-45 (.211) when scoring three or fewer runs, right in line with MLB as a whole (.218).
The offense on Saturday will have to face Giants ace Logan Webb, a workhorse who leads the National League in innings pitched this season, just like he did in the previous two years. The Dodgers scored six runs off Webb in San Francisco on July 11, but were held to two runs in seven innings by the right-hander on June 13 in Los Angeles. The Giants won both games.
Clayton Kershaw makes his 60th career start against the Giants in the middle game of the series, and second this season. He pitched seven scoreless innings against them on June 14 at Dodger Stadium.
In the game immediately after a walk-off loss this season, the Dodgers have averaged 6.11 runs per game, scoring at least five runs seven times in nine games. They are 5-4 in those follow-up games, including two wins by Kershaw the day after, on June 8 at St. Louis and last Sunday in Baltimore.
Saturday game info
- Teams: Dodgers at Giants
- Ballpark: Oracle Park, San Francisco
- Start time: 6:05 p.m.
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)