It was an all-too-familiar foe for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts‘ team on an absolutely glorious Spring day at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

That familiar foe is RISP – leaving runners in scoring position. Something that the Dodgers have become quite prolific at in recent years.

In Sunday’s lackluster 2-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Roberts’ team went 0-for-6 with RISP while stranding eight men on base, the result of which was a completely wasted brilliant start by 30-year-old/eight-year MLB veteran Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard.

Thor, as Syndergaard is affectionately known, allowed only one run on four hits, while striking out six and walking none in his stellar 6.0-inning season debut.

“All in all I think it was a really good outing, just unfortunately, we lost,” Syndergaard told reporters postgame.

Unfortunately indeed.

After Saturday night’s historic 10-1 pounding of the D-backs that included three home runs by Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson (including a first-inning grand slam) and a combined eight hits, the Dodgers mustered only four hits on Sunday afternoon against 30-year-old D-backs right-hander Zach Davies and four Arizona relievers.

Sunday’s two hour and 32 minute game remained tied at 1-1 heading into the top of the ninth.

Unfortunately, normally very efficient 24-year-old Dodgers right-hander Brusdar Graterol had a ninth inning that he – and Dodgers fans – would just as soon forget. The popular Calabozo, Venezuela native allowed one run on four hits, including an RBI bunt single by D-backs right fielder Jake McCarthy that would prove to be the game-winner for D-backs manager Torey Lovullo‘s team.

“Very uncharacteristic. Brusdar typically has really good command,” Roberts said of Graterol postgame. “There were a lot of arm-side misses and balls up in the zone. Even the McCarthy bunt base hit, if anybody is going to make that play, Brusdar is.”

Unfortunately, through their first four games of the new season, the Dodgers are 8-for-30 (.267) with runners in scoring position and have left a combined 31 men on base.

Unfortunately indeed.

Play Ball!

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