When your starting pitcher allows five earned run on six hits, of which three were home runs, it’s pretty easy to say that he’s the guy responsible when your teams loses to your division’s last place team. In fact, Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood fell on his sword and even admitted such when he told reporters after the game: “This one’s on me.”

But the simple truth is that when the fiercely competitive 27-year-old Charlotte. North Carolina native and former 2012 second-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia (by the Atlanta Braves) was removed from the game with one out in the top of the sixth inning, the score was tied 5-5 – which is pretty much the same as 0-0.

In other words, it was the two-out single allowed by Dodgers right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson in the top of the seventh inning, followed by a hit batsman and a base hit by left-hander Scott Alexander, that turned that 5-5 tie into a 6-5 San Diego Padres lead – not to mention the solo home run given up by Dodgers right-hander Josh Fields an inning later – that was the real reason why the Dodgers lost 7-5 to remain 3.5 games games behind the division-leading Colorado Rockies on Saturday night in front of 43,920 at Dodger Stadium.

Alex Wood was removed from Saturday night’s game with the score tied at 5-5. As such, and contrary to what his manager told the media after the game, he is not the guy responsible for the Dodgers eventual 7-5 loss.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But in spite of the five runs allowed by Wood and the two runs allowed by Messrs. Hudson and Fields, it was the Dodgers pathetic 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position that was the real reason for Saturday’s painful lose to the last place Padres, this in spite of Dodger manager Dave Roberts’ claim to the contrary after the game when he completely skirted this question by SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo.

“You know what? I thought, for five runs, that’s enough to win a baseball game,” Roberts said. … “But as far as at-bats, I felt honestly the at-bat quality up and down the lineup was good, and tonight to see [Chris Taylor] swing the bat the way that we’ve seen him in the past was really a good thing for us tonight.”

Roberts completely danced around Alanna Rizzo’s question about the Dodgers going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, while essentially putting the entire blame for Saturday night’s loss on Alex Wood.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA – Click on image to view video)

Okay … but what about Logan Forsythe, who struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning?

The Dodgers second baseman did so after Padres starter Jordan Lyles had allowed a one-out single to Max Muncy, a walk to Justin Turner, got Matt Kemp to fly out, and gave up back-to-back walks to Yasmani Grandal and Cody Bellinger to push across one run. This led to Padres manager Andy Green pulling Lyles for left-hander Tyler Webb. And even though Forsythe managed to work the count full that included taking two called strikes right down Broadway, Forsythe struck out swinging on a foul tip and killed a rally that could have easily put the game out of reach for the Dodgers but instead left Alex Wood bleeding to death on his sword.

If Roberts is going to throw Alex Wood under the bus for Saturday night’s 7-5 loss to the Padres, then Logan Forsythe certainly deserves to be there too. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

We all get that baseball is a team sport and that you win as a team and lose as a team. But if Roberts is going to throw Alex Wood – who left the game with the score tied and ultimately did not factor in the decision – under the bus, then he damn well better throw Logan Forsythe and the nine other guys who failed to get a hit with runners in scoring position under there as well.