{"id":2067,"date":"2026-08-08T08:38:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=2067"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:38:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:38:47","slug":"dodgers-fall-to-arizona-on-walk-off-homer-as-losing-skid-hits-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=2067","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers fall to Arizona on walk-off homer as losing skid hits 7"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/span>From the crack of the bat and the trajectory of the ball, it was immediately clear that the Dodgers<\/a> had found a new way to lose.<\/p>\n

Dodgers closer Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a> hung a slider over the plate to Arizona\u2019s Ryan Waldschmidt<\/a>, and he sent it over the left-center field wall for a two-run, walk-off homer in a 4-3 win that sent the Dodgers to a season-worst seventh straight loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to find it tonight, tomorrow when I come to the field,\u201d D\u00edaz said of his slider, which hasn\u2019t been nearly as effective as usual this season. \u201cBecause that\u2019s my pitch. I got a good fastball, but my slider is the strikeout pitch. And today, I missed with two strikes. … I\u2019m still positive. I\u2019m always positive. Just got to do my job better and help the team to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time in a long time, an in-division matchup felt like it had real stakes.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers\u2019 recent skid dropped their National League West lead into single digits for the first time in over a month. They are now only 7\u00bd games ahead of the second-place Diamondbacks in the division.<\/p>\n

They also now have the fourth-best record in the majors (69-47), falling behind the Brewers (72-44) and Braves (70-46) and Rays (69-46).<\/p>\n

\u201cA week ago, it looked a lot different,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts<\/a> said. \u201cAnd another week from now, it could look even more different. So you\u2019ve just got to put your head down and play baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

They did, at least, have a better record than last season (67-49) at the 116-game mark. But the Dodgers would prefer to, unlike last year, at least earn a first-round bye, and ideally home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Their performance Friday sent them in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cA loss is a loss, but to get walked off never feels good,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t play a clean game, a great game on either side of the baseball, but we did enough to put ourselves in a position to win a game, and unfortunately, we couldn\u2019t finish it.\u201d <\/p>\n

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