Lance Lynn gives up 3 homers in 9-run inning as Dodgers lose to Marlins

MIAMI — When the Dodgers acquired Lance Lynn at the trade deadline, they were convinced his league-leading total of home runs allowed were a bug in the system that they could fix.

Turns out, it’s a feature.

Lynn gave up three home runs in the fifth inning Wednesday night, running his league-leading total to 40 home runs allowed this season, as the Dodgers lost to the Miami Marlins, 11-4.

The Marlins scored nine times in that fifth inning and have outscored the Dodgers 17-7 in winning the first two games of this series. The nine-run inning was the most scored against the Dodgers since the Arizona Diamondbacks also scored nine runs in the eighth inning of a game at Chase Field on April 21, 2017.

After marauding through August, the Dodgers have stalled out in September, losing four of their first five games this month and scoring a total of 15 runs in those games after averaging six runs per game in August.

Lynn became the first MLB pitcher to allow 40 home runs in a season since Mike Leake allowed 41 for the Seattle Mariners and Diamondbacks in 2019.

Lynn gave up just four of those in his first four starts with the Dodgers but has now allowed eight home runs in his past 15 innings – and 15 runs in nine innings over his past two starts.

The ticking couldn’t be heard through the first four innings Wednesday night. Lynn allowed just one hit in that time – a bunt single by Jazz Chisholm Jr.

But the fifth inning began with a double by Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings. It wasn’t a good sign when No. 9 hitter Joey Wendle – with just one home run in his first 285 plate appearances this season – launched a two-run home run to right field.

After back-to-back walks and a fly ball out, Chisholm took Lynn deep for a three-run homer. Two batters later, Jesus Sanchez sent the third home run of the inning into the seats, the sparseness of the crowd protecting everyone from injury during the barrage.

Four more hits including a two-run double by Luis Arraez followed before the nine-run inning was over.

Lynn arrived from the Chicago White Sox having allowed 2.1 home runs per nine innings. In seven starts with the Dodgers, he is giving them up at an even faster rate – 2.7 per nine innings.

Lynn’s implosion overshadowed another episode in Jason Heyward’s summer of rebirth. Out of the game a year ago at this time, Heyward was 3 for 4 Wednesday with a solo home run (his 14th of the season) for the Dodgers’ only run. Over his past eight games, Heyward is 12 for 25 with three home runs and seven RBIs.

And in the bottom of the fourth, he protected the 1-0 lead he had given the Dodgers by making a leaping catch at the wall in right field, robbing Xavier Edwards of an extra-base hit with the bases loaded.

An error by Wendle and a two-run home run by James Outman in the ninth inning allowed the Dodgers to score more than three runs in a game for the first time this month.

More to come on this story.