The Boston Red Sox jump on Los Angeles Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan en route to the series sweep at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES — Though the Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest splash of the Trade Deadline on Saturday night with their acquisition of Tarik Skubal — who was seen greeting his new teammates in the dugout in the middle of the game, they fell to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday by an 8-4 final en route to a series sweep to cap off their homestand.
Emmet Sheehan took the mound for Los Angeles, and the inconsistency in his mechanics that has been a recurring problem throughout the season showcased itself once more in the loss.
"The only thing I can do is try to get better, there's no other option," Sheehan said.
The right-hander was roughed up for five earned runs in just 2.2 innings pitched against the red-hot Boston lineup. He gave up those five earned runs on six hits and three solo shots.
Boston tacked on two runs in the first frame against Sheehan via RBI singles from Masataka Yoshida and Caleb Durbin. It was evident from that same inning that the command was going to be spotty throughout the duration of his outing.
Sheehan bounced back the following frame by striking out the side, and the Dodgers' offense picked him up further by putting up a three-spot in the bottom of the second inning, which was capped off by a go-ahead Andy Pages two-run single.
But Sheehan went right back to square one in the Red Sox's top of the third. Boston launched three long balls in a nine-pitch span, courtesy of Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Yoshida.
"It was bad execution," Sheehan said on his disastrous third inning. "I know that those were pitches that those guys can hit. I just missed my spot."
After plunking Andruw Monasterio, manager Dave Roberts pulled the plug on Sheehan before he could complete the inning.
"Everyone knows what we think of him. The talent is there, the care, the preparedness, all that stuff is there. But it's when you're pitching in big league games, you got to get guys out. So, I don't know where we can go from here. We all pull for him, but you got to perform," Roberts said of Sheehan.
Sheehan's fastball averaged a season-low 93.3 mph, and it is the second time in his last three starts that he's given up five or more runs. Sheehan did not pick up a single win in his four decisions in July and posted an ERA of 4.50 in 20 innings.
He has not pitched six full innings since June 1 in a loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With the loss, the Dodgers fall to 69-43 this season and have been swept for the first time in the second half.
Los Angeles will then travel on Sunday night and head to Wrigley Field to face the Chicago Cubs for a three-game set beginning on Monday. As confirmed already by Roberts, Skubal will make his Dodgers debut on the mound in the middle game of the three-game series on Tuesday against Cubs' right-hander Javier Assad.
