Christian Walker stays hot but Arizona Diamondbacks lose again at Dodger Stadium

LOS ANGELES — For the Diamondbacks, trips to Dodger Stadium are like visits to the dentist, the department of motor vehicles and Costco on a weekend rolled into one — only worse. They are nightmarish, each trip seemingly worse than the last.

The first two games of their series here this week started on the same note as so many that had come before. The Diamondbacks’ 7-6 loss in the first game of Tuesday’s split doubleheader dropped them to 3-21 here since the start of 2019, including losses in 16 of the past 17.

And yet another trend also continued, one that stands in contrast to the Diamondbacks’ struggles in this ballpark. Both Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, the Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker got fastballs over the plate and sent them into the bleachers in left-center field. Both were no-doubt home runs.

For Walker, it was nothing new. While his teammates largely have struggled here, he has flourished. In 22 career games at Dodger Stadium, Walker is 20 for 62 (.323) with eight homers and six walks. His on-base is .391, his slugging .742.

As expected, Walker said he enjoys playing in this ballpark. He likes the big crowds, the loud music, the atmosphere. To him, it is what playing at the major league level is all about.

“It feels like high-stakes baseball every game,” Walker said. “And that’s a lot of fun.”

Games here, however, have not been as kind to the rest of the Diamondbacks, who have lost games in excruciating fashion over the past four seasons. In July 2019, they lost back-to-back games they led entering the bottom of the ninth. They were swept in three games during their lone visit in 2020. They won just one of 10 games in 2021; one of those losses, in July, was by a score of 22-1. In the past 17 meetings in this park, the Dodgers have outscored the Diamondbacks a combined 107-43.

“It’s hard to say, other than it’s just about execution,” Walker said when asked about the team’s performance. “Call it home-field advantage or whatever you want to call it, but at the end of the day, they’re a really good team. I think we’re capable of winning some games here, for sure. We don’t necessarily feel overmatched or anything like that. I don’t really have an answer for you, to be honest. I think it’s just one of those things.”

Walker sort of put himself on the map in the majors with his success against Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw, homering four times in his first 10 at-bats against him over his first two seasons in the majors.

But only a sliver of Walker’s Dodger Stadium damage has come against Kershaw, against whom he is 2 for 6 with a homer. Walker’s home run on Monday was off right-hander Tony Gonsolin. In 2019, he homered off Walker Buehler. Over the years, he has hits off Kenta Maeda, David Price, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Joe Kelly, among others.

His shot on Tuesday came off Dodgers right-hander Ryan Pepiot, a two-run blast in the third that increased the Diamondbacks’ lead to 3-0. They led, 3-1, entering the bottom of the sixth, with left-hander Tyler Gilbert cruising through the Dodgers’ lineup.

The momentum quickly shifted. After a leadoff single, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts blasted a first-pitch cutter out to left for a game-tying homer. Two batters later, Trea Turner turned on a fastball, launching it into the left-field seats.

But manager Torey Lovullo continued to stick with Gilbert, who proceeded to walk Max Muncy before giving up another two-run shot, this one to Justin Turner. What had been a 3-1 lead was suddenly a 6-3 deficit.

Mindful of having to play the nightcap — in addition to four more games on this road trip that shifts to Wrigley Field on Thursday — Lovullo was hoping to limit the stress on his bullpen by getting Gilbert through six innings. It did not work out as planned.

“This is where I’ve got to make some adjustments,” Lovullo said. “I’ve got to probably recognize where he’s running out of gas. I think I was watching the game and thinking he could get through certain parts of that lineup. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

Said Gilbert: “I felt the best I’d ever felt through the first five. I kind of ran out of gas there in the sixth inning, missing spots and locations. That’s what really hurt me.”

Walker’s success the past two days has helped improve his season numbers after what had been a frustrating start. Though he had been hitting balls hard on a regular basis, he had little to show for it, carrying a batting average that hovered well below .200 for most of the first five weeks.

Walker, who had raised his average to .210 with a team-leading eight homers entering Tuesday night, was asked if he expected good things to happen every time he steps to the plate in Los Angeles.

“I try to every at-bat, regardless of where I am,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t feel any more confident here than I do at other parks. I think it’s just a different layout than a field like Chase. Bigger gap-to-gap. I feel like if you put a good swing on it, you get rewarded. I feel like that’s the way it should be.”

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Christian Walker stays hot but Diamondbacks lose again at Dodgers