Corbin Strikes Out 12 As Diamondbacks Sweep Dodgers
PHOENIX (AP) — Patrick Corbin finally found a way to end his long losing streak against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And he did it emphatically.
Corbin shut out the Dodgers on one hit over 7 1-3 innings, striking out a career-high 12 in the Diamondbacks' 3-0 win on Wednesday.
The Diamondbacks swept the three-game series and won their ninth straight game against the Dodgers, going back to a pair of three-game series sweeps last season.
The Arizona left-hander was 0-8 in his past 10 appearances against the Dodgers.
"Just had a good game plan," Corbin said. "I felt great in the bullpen and carried it over into the game. Just was able to locate my fastball down and away, just keep them off balance with those breaking balls."
Corbin (2-0) retired 14 batters in a row to start the game, eight on strikeouts. The Dodgers struggled to make solid contact, and it took Matt Kemp's bloop double with two outs in the fifth to break up Corbin's no-hit bid.
Kemp had the Dodgers' only hit of the game.
"His slider and curveball were as good as I've seen it together," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Corbin. "The slider was devastating. It looked like a fastball and ... we just couldn't figure it out."
Corbin was taken out after walking Kemp with one out in the eighth inning, and walked to the dugout to a standing ovation.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he could tell early in the game that Corbin had dominant stuff.
"The ball was coming out of his hand really, really well," Lovullo said. "He's got great stuff and he kept a very offensive team in check."
Brad Boxberger earned his second save with a scoreless ninth. The Dodgers had only four base runners, two in the ninth on Boxberger walks.
The Diamondbacks scored a run in each of the first three innings.
In the first, leadoff man Jarrod Dyson doubled past drawn-in first baseman Kike Hernandez, took third on a groundout and scored on Paul Goldschmidt's groundout.
Chris Owings led off the second with a double, stole third with one out and scored on Devin Marrero's sacrifice fly.
Arizona began each of the first three innings with a leadoff double, including Corbin's in the third.
Corbin was sacrificed to third and scored on Ketel Marte's single.
"Very unselfish at-bats," Lovullo said.
Alex Wood, who allowed only one hit in eight innings against San Francisco in his first start of the season on March 30, gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out five in his first loss of the season.
"I was able to make it through six, but much more of a battle today," Wood said, downplaying his team's 2-5 start.
"It's April 4th. We started a little slow last year. It's one of those things where we've just got to keep plugging and once it clicks we'll get to rolling."
DOUBLE-TAKE DOUBLE PLAY
The Diamondbacks helped the Dodgers turn an unusual double play to end the sixth inning.
With A.J. Pollock on third base, Owings grounded to second. Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe, who was playing in, threw home to start a rundown when Pollock stopped on the base paths. Catcher Yasmani Grandal threw to third baseman Kyle Farmer to tag out Pollock. Then Farmer noticed Owings had strayed too far off first base and threw to Hernandez. Hernandez threw to Forsythe for the tag on Owings at second base.
GOLD(SCHMIDT) STANDARD
Goldschmidt won't play every day, and Lovullo said his target number of games this season in order to give the star first baseman some rest will be in the mid-150s or fewer.
"I'm going to make sure he stays on course for that," Lovullo said. "We want him healthy for the whole year."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: 3B Justin Turner (left wrist fracture) will remain at the Dodgers' spring training facility in nearby Glendale for rehab. ... LHP Julio Urias (60-day disabled list, left elbow surgery rehab) had his comeback delayed slightly for tonsil removal. Roberts said Urias will resume throwing next week.
Diamondbacks: RHP Randall Delgado (strained oblique) will soon go on a rehab assignment after throwing a short simulated game against minor-leaguers on Tuesday. ... OF Steven Souza Jr. got Wednesday off from his return from a strained pectoral. ... 3B Jake Lamb (shoulder) had an MRI Tuesday that showed a sprained AC joint.
UP NEXT
The Dodgers, with a day off Thursday, had RHP Kenta Maeda available out of the bullpen Wednesday as insurance for a taxed bullpen, Roberts said. But Maeda (1-0) didn't pitch and is the scheduled starter Friday at San Francisco, though rain is in the forecast.
For the Diamondbacks, LHP Robbie Ray (1-0) goes Thursday against the Cardinals.
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