Here’s what you need to know
🚨 David Peralta’s walk-off single caps Dodgers comeback
MLB has a process for avoiding pitch-clock violations like Bellinger’s
Bellinger’s homecoming a harsh reminder of a preventable split
David Peralta’s two-run, pinch-hit single gives Dodgers walk-off victory over Cubs
An offense that mustered only two hits for eight innings and trailed by a run for most of the game came to life in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night, David Peralta delivering a clutch two-out, two-run, pinch-hit single to right field to lift the Dodgers to a dramatic 2-1 walk-off win over the Chicago Cubs.
A Jackie Robinson Day crowd of 52,275 at Chavez Ravine saw three Cubs pitchers — starters Jameson Taillon and relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Keegan Thompson — stifle the Dodgers for eight innings and Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger rob them of a potential two-run homer in the second.
Bellinger scooted back to the warning track, timed his jump perfectly and made a leaping catch above the center-field wall to snag Jason Heyward’s drive, eliciting boos from a crowd that adored Bellinger when he played for the Dodgers from 2017 to 2022.
Caleb Ferguson gets out of bases-loaded jam to keep it a one-run game
⚾ Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 — End of the eighth
Dodgers reliever Caleb Ferguson got out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki to keep it a one-run game.
Ferguson got Happ to swing at a pitch in the dirt for strike three before getting Suzuki to bite on an 84-mph breaking ball. Ferguson, understandably, was very pumped.
Yency Almonte, who struck out Edwin Rios to end the top of the seventh, quickly ran into trouble in the eighth. He gave up a single to Tucker Barhardt before issuing back-to-back walks to Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson to load the bases and bring in Ferguson.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they were held hitless for the sixth consecutive inning.
Dodgers still struggling against Cubs pitching
⚾ Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 — End of the seventh
The Dodgers went down in order against Cubs reliever Keegan Thompson.
The Dodgers have just two hits, with their last hit coming on a single by Miguel Vargas in the second inning.
Dodgers looking for more offense after solid start by Michael Grove
⚾ Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 — End of the sixth
Michael Grove was relieved by Alex Vesia with two outs in the sixth inning following a solid bounceback start.
Grove allowed two hits, walked two and struck out six over 5 2/3 innings. His only blemish came in the fifth when he gave up a home run to Patrick Wisdom.
Vesia got Ian Happ to pop out in foul territory behind first base to make it a 1-2-3 inning for the Cubs.
In the bottom of the inning, Cubs reliever Mark Leiter Jr. hit J.D. Martinez with a pitch, but otherwise mowed through the Dodgers’ order, striking out Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and James Outman.
Patrick Wisdom solo home run puts Cubs on the board
⚾ Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 — Fifth inning
Patrick Wisdom hit a solo home run to center field off Dodgers starter Patrick Wisdom for the game’s first run.
Wisdom’s fifth home run of the season was a no-doubter, traveling 415 feet.
Grove responded by striking out Tucker Barnhart for his fifth punchout of the game.
In the bottom of the inning, Mookie Betts struck out with Jason Heyward on second to spoil a potential scoring chance.
Michael Grove looking sharp in bounceback start
⚾ Cubs 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the fourth
Michael Grove has been sharp tonight following his rough outing last week against the Diamondbacks.
The 26-year-old has allowed just one hit, one walk and has struck out four over 54 pitches so far.
Cody Bellinger robs Jason Heyward of a two-run home run, gets booed
⚾ Cubs 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the second inning
Cody Bellinger made a leaping grab over the wall in center field, robbing Jason Heyward — one of the players replacing him on the Dodgers — of a two-run home run in the second inning.
Fans initially booed Bellinger before he reacted with a smile and his arms out as if to say, “Sorry. What do you want me to do?” The gesture prompted many of the Dodgers faithful to clap and cheer in appreciation.
Dodgers and Cubs scoreless after the first inning
⚾ Cubs 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the first inning
Michael Grove oversaw a 1-2-3 inning for the Dodgers, benefiting from an impressive backwards catch into the wall by center fielder Jason Heyward on the game’s first at-bat.
In the bottom of the inning, Freddie Freeman singled off Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon, but he and Max Muncy (walk) were left stranded.
Jason Heyward talks about the impact Jackie Robinson made on his life
Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward addressed the crowd at Dodger Stadium before the game Saturday, paying tribute to the legacy of Jackie Robinson on Jackie Robinson Day.
Heyward thanked the Robinson family for their efforts at continuing Robinson’s legacy and talked about how Robinson helped open doors to his MLB career.
“I want to say thank you to Jackie,” Heyward said. “Right here from Dodger Stadium. I know he’s here. I know he’s watching.”
Earlier in the day, Heyward spoke to Dodgers and Cubs players and community leaders in front of the Jackie Robinson statue at Dodger Stadium.
Immediately after his pregame speech, Heyward made a spectacular, jumping catch in center field on a deep liner from Nico Hoerner.
MLB has a process for avoiding pitch-clock violations like Cody Bellinger’s
The agent for Cody Bellinger called Major League Baseball deputy commissioner Dan Halem to complain about the pitch-clock violation that Bellinger received when the Chicago Cubs center fielder stepped out of the batter’s box in anticipation of a lengthy ovation before his first at-bat as a visitor in Chavez Ravine on Friday night.
“I called [Halem] and said, ‘Why do we not have provisions for this?’ And he goes, ‘We do,” agent Scott Boras said before Saturday night’s game between the Cubs and Dodgers. “It’s umpire discretion, and normally the clubs notify the umpires beforehand if they have any kind of special things.
“[Dodgers manager Dave Roberts] was even screaming from the dugout, ‘Hey, give him some time!’ You have the opposing manager trying to make sure a [visiting] player is appropriately welcomed. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Why are you not doing that?’ Unreal.”
Did Andre Jackson tip his pitches? Dodgers reliever gives up four homers in loss
Andre Jackson, as the old baseball saying goes, wasn’t fooling anyone Friday night. The Dodgers reliever was summoned in the eighth inning of a one-run game against the Chicago Cubs. Thirteen batters, five runs, six hits — four of them homers — later, the Dodgers were staggering from an 8-2 loss before a crowd of 52,298 in Chavez Ravine.
“Andre has been throwing the baseball well for us, and it seemed like they were on everything,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the Cubs hitters. “I don’t know if he was tipping pitches or what, but they were just on too many pitches.”
Roberts might have been on to something. Jackson is not one of the team’s high-leverage relievers — he gave up three runs and six hits in 6⅓ innings of his first three games for a 4.26 ERA in a middle-relief role — but even he was surprised by the shellacking he absorbed at the hands of the Cubs.
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
