Dodgers rally to tie the game but lose to Braves on Marcell Ozuna home run

ATLANTA — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described veteran reliever Daniel Hudson suffering a season-ending knee injury Friday as “a big loss.”

Then the Dodgers went out and showed why Saturday.

The Dodgers climbed back from a three-run deficit, tying the game on Will Smith’s solo home run in the top of the eighth inning. Turning to Brusdar Graterol in a situation that would have been handled by Hudson on most nights, Graterol gave up a two-run home run to Marcell Ozuna in the bottom of the eighth and the Atlanta Braves beat the Dodgers 5-3.

“I left the pitch over the plate. I don’t know what else to say,” Graterol said in Spanish.

“They’ve given me their confidence to pitch in those innings and I’ve tried to take advantage of it. Things happen and there are good days and bad days.”

The Dodgers have little choice — for now — but to put their confidence in Graterol and the other members of a bullpen that has lost veteran setup men Hudson, Blake Treinen and Tommy Kahnle to injuries.

“Yeah, in that spot right there, I liked Brusdar,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to kind of question 100 (mph) down and in that (Travis) d’Arnaud put a good swing on (for a leadoff double). He doesn’t give up a whole lot of slug to right-handed hitters and I think it was a slider that he left center cut to Ozuna.

“He’s one of our guys. He’s going to keep having runway. And the expectation is for him to go out and perform. … But when you lose a guy like Huddy, it’s got an exponential effect on everyone.”

Braves starter Max Fried has had a definite effect on Dodgers hitters. He held them into the seventh inning, dominating the Dodgers for the second time this season. Fried shut them out through seven innings in a start during the Braves’ visit to Los Angeles in April as well.

In 13 2/3 innings against the Dodgers this season, the lanky left-hander has allowed just eight hits while striking out 17 and allowing just two runs (both after he left the game Saturday). Trea Turner’s one-out double in the sixth inning Saturday was the first extra-base hit the Dodgers managed off Fried this year.

“I think he’s the best left-hander in the game,” Roberts said. “Just where he’s at right now — not to take anything away from our guys. But as far as his ability to go three times through the lineup, the pitch mix — it’s electric stuff.

“I think his 105th pitch was 98. He pitches to all quadrants. And he always seems to bring out his best against us.”

Turner was the only Dodger who had much luck against Fried Saturday. He also led off the game with a single – and is 17 for 35 in eight games since returning to the leadoff spot.

That gave Turner half of the Dodgers’ hits through the first six innings and the Braves gave Fried a 3-0 lead on a two-run home run by Dansby Swanson and an RBI double by Austin Riley.

The Dodgers didn’t have two runners on base at the same time until the seventh when Chris Taylor drew a leadoff walk and went to third on Justin Turner’s single.

But Fried struck out Trayce Thompson on three pitches then – after a visit from Braves manager Brian Snitker – did the same to Hanser Alberto on four pitches.

Cody Bellinger put up a better fight in the left-on-left matchup. He worked the count full then drove a Fried curveball into the right field seats – just foul. After smiling wistfully at the foul pole, unable to will it to move a few feet to the right, Bellinger gathered himself and singled through the middle to drive in the Dodgers’ first run of the night.

Snitker returned to the mound, this time replacing Fried with lefty reliever Will Smith. Austin Barnes poked a 1-and-1 fastball from Smith through the right side for an RBI single that made it a one-run game.

After Trea Turner drew a walk to load the bases, the stage was set for Freeman to put a dramatic stamp on his return to Atlanta.

“Yeah, the stage was set, the anticipation,” Roberts said. “I was hoping for a different outcome.”

Home plate umpire CB Bucknor must not have had the right script. He called a 1-and-1 slider below the zone a strike, putting Freeman in a hole and he struck out on the next pitch, unable to check his swing on a slider well off the plate.

“Just swung at a 0-0 slider in the dirt,” Freeman recounted. “Had a call go against me, changed the at-bat. So I’ve got to go in ‘Protect’ mode, and he threw another good slider.”

One Will Smith protected the lead for the Braves. The other erased it for the Dodgers, leading off the eighth with home run off A.J. Minter.

But Graterol gave up that leadoff double to d’Arnaud in the bottom of the eighth and Ozuna drove an 0-and-1 slider at the bottom of the strike zone over the wall in center field.

“I think it just caught some more middle than away,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. “It was down but it was more middle. He put a good swing on it.”

Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth inning, averaging 97 mph on his cutter — a flashback to his early days as the Dodgers’ closer.

“I think there was a little bit more behind it,” Roberts said. “It was coming in hot.”

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