Dodgers Highlights: Syndergaard Can’t Keep Rays from Scoring, Max Muncy in Huge Slump

Noah Syndergaard loses an early lead and kept giving the Rays more and more scoring opportunities as the Dodgers are unable to come back in a 9-3 loss. It’s LA’s second consecutive loss and, despite the off day, the club looked a little off and sluggish on the night… or maybe that was just Syndergaard.

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Let’s get into the highlights.

The Dodgers had an opportunity to put some points on the board in the first after a leadoff walk by Mookie Betts followed by a Freddie Freeman put runners at first and third with none out. Will Smith poked an RBI single to right field to drive in Mookie and put the boys in blue up 1-0. Freddie and Will would be left stranded.

Freddie Freeman's last 15 games:

.448/.522/.803/1.325, 15-game hit streak

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) May 27, 2023

In the bottom of the first, the Rays scored 2 runs on 3 hits and an RBI groundout. They plated 2 more in the bottom of the second inning on 2 more hits and a walk, scoring on a pair of productive outs.

The Dodgers got a run back in the top of the third with an RBI single off the bat of J.D. Martinez, driving home Freddie Freeman who walked to lead off the inning.

4-2 Rays lead.

Unfortunately, the Rays added single runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings before Noah Syndergaard settled down a bit to toss a pair of clean innings in the fifth and sixth thanks in part to some exceptional defense, including this highlight play by Chris Taylor.

Chris Taylor Catches pic.twitter.com/LDfAeBO6Mp

— Mad Choriyama (@MadChoriyama) May 27, 2023

He ended his night allowing 6 runs on 8 hits and a walk over 6 innings. Another rough start for the Dodgers’ $13 million experiment…

The Dodgers tried to fix Noah Syndergaard. I thought it would work.

Unfortunately, it didn’t, but the Dodgers can’t keep throwing him out there as a starter.

Within the next two weeks they should have Julio Urias and Michael Grove healthy. Syndergaard should be done by then.

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 26, 2023

These numbers are not good numbers #analysis https://t.co/hadKPPTf1k

— Clint Pasillas (@realFRG) May 27, 2023

The Dodgers had their chances in this one. Max Muncy, who was dropped a spot in the order, left 8 runners on base on Friday night and is mired in a terrible slump since a 2 home run effort 10 games ago and is hitting under .150 over that span.

Worth mentioned that one of Muncy’s strikeouts came on this nasty slider.

Cooper Criswell, Mean 76mph Sweeper with 21 inches of Horizontal Break. ? pic.twitter.com/VABuGsuE6t

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2023

Tampa Bay picked up another run on a sacrifice fly off Justin Bruihl pitching in relief of Syndergaard in the bottom of the seventh inning.

LA got that run back on a Chris Taylor RBI double in the top of the eighth and left two more runners on base.

But the game got firmly out of reach in the bottom of the eighth when Bruihl working his second inning of the night, allowed a 2 run blast to put the Rays up 9-3 where it ended.

Up Next

The Dodgers look to get back in the win column with Clayton Kershaw back on the mound in a 2020 World Series game 5 rematch against Tyler Glasnow and the MLB-best Rays.