Matt Kemp, Dave Roberts and Yasmani Grandal were all ejected for arguing balls and strikes before Farmer came through with the winning hit to stun the Cubs in the first game of Tuesday’s doub…
CHICAGO — With the Dodgers down to their last strike, Kyle Farmer came through with a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Farmer’s pinch-hit double salvaged a game that, before Farmer got off the bench, saw the Dodgers go 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and have three players ejected for arguing called third strikes.
Cubs starter Tyler Chatwood and Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda struggled to find the strike zone. The two combined for 10 walks, with Chatwood going five innings. Maeda walked a career-high five while lasting only 3 2/3 innings.
Home plate umpire Tripp Gibson had his own problems finding the strike zone. He angered the Dodgers with a series of called strikes in the early innings. It came to a head in the fourth when Justin Turner and Matt Kemp each got in Gibson’s face after called third strikes.
Kemp and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were ejected following that inning-ending strikeout.
The Dodgers scored first on a home run by Joc Pederson leading off the game, his eighth home run of June.
Chatwood sidestepped any more damage despite five walks, a hit batter (Chris Taylor took one off the back of his helmet) and a wild pitch in his five innings. The Dodgers’ next run didn’t come until the sixth inning when the Cubs infielders lost a ball in the sun – which briefly made an appearance – and Yasiel Puig’s pop-up fell for an RBI double.
Maeda wasn’t quite as effective at avoiding paying for his control problems.
Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Cubs in the second inning. Maeda was one pitch away from getting out of the inning but Kris Bryant lined a full-count pitch down the left-field line for a two-run double.
Two innings later, Maeda gave up a two-out single and walked his career-high fifth batter, prompting Roberts to replace him with Adam Liberatore. Anthony Rizzo dropped an RBI single into left field.
It stayed that way when the Cubs stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon opted to go with lefty reliever Justin Wilson in the ninth – not former Dodger Brandon Morrow, signed as a free agent to be the Cubs’ closer this year. Morrow is dealing with a sore back.
Wilson walked pinch-hitter Austin Barnes to start the ninth, the Dodgers’ eighth walk of the game. One out later, Turner moved the tying run into scoring position with a single.
That brought Yasmani Grandal to the plate. When Gibson called a third strike on him that looked low, Grandal complain in animated fashion and flung his bat away when Gibson ejected him from the game.
Farmer came up as a pinch-hitter and lashed a grounder down the third-base line, past a diving Bryant. Barnes and Turner scored as the ball rattled down the left-field line.
Kenley Jansen closed it out in the bottom of the ninth, converting his 16th consecutive save situation.
