Dodgers fail to sweep Yankees thanks to quiet bats, Jazz Chisholms late home run
NEW YORK — At the end of a very long doubleheader day at Yankee Stadium, it took until the penultimate inning of Sunday’s nightcap for someone to finally deliver a fatal blow.With the score tied in the bottom of the eighth between the Dodgers and Yankees, New York second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.delivered the night’s decisive swing, taking Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips deep to lift the Yankees to a sweep-averting 2-1 win.For New York, salvation should have come much sooner in a series finale that saw the Dodgers go with a bullpen game.After scoring a quick run in the first off opener Will Klein, they let the Dodgers hang around and stay within striking distance, squandering a string of repeated chances to further pad their lead.In the fourth, they had runners at second and third with only one out but came up empty thanks in part to a nice play by third baseman Max Muncy to field a ground ball and throw a runner out at home.
In the fifth, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs off three singles against Jack Dreyer but couldn’t scratch even one run across after Brock Stewart came in and sandwiched an infield pop-up between two strikeouts.Finally, in the eighth, the Dodgers made their hosts pay, with Tommy Edman coming off the bench for a game-tying pinch-hit home run.But then, it was the Dodgers’ turn to waste an opportunity.They got two runners aboard later in the inning with one out, only to watch Shohei Ohtani strike out and Andy Pages pop out against Yankees closer David Bednar.Thus, the stage was set for Chisholm to launch his game-winning blast in the bottom half of the frame, belting an opposite-field drive off a low fastball from Phillips that stayed over the middle of the plate. The Dodgers did not complete a three-game sweep of the Yankees but still leave the Bronx with a series win to begin this nine-game road trip.At 63-37, they continue to own the best record in the majors, plus an 11 ½-game lead in their division.Despite Sunday night’...