DETROIT (AP) - Michael Fulmer did everything he could against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Thanks to his defense, it wasn’t quite enough.
Fulmer held baseball’s best team scoreless for 6 2/3 innings, but the Dodgers found a weakness in the seventh and went on to post a 3-0 victory.
With two outs, third baseman Nicholas Castellanos whiffed on a popup by Curtis Granderson for a two-base error. Fulmer walked Yasmani Grandal and Adrian Gonzalez followed with an RBI single to right.
“That was frustrating, because I couldn’t get the last pitch I needed,” Fulmer said.
Justin Turner added a two-out RBI single off Alex Wilson in the eighth and Yasmani Grandal homered in the ninth.
“Fulmer is a heck of a pitcher, and this is the first time we had seen him up close,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s got really good stuff, but those two-out hits are tough for any pitcher.”
The win was the Dodgers’ sixth in a row and 21st in 24 games. Detroit has lost six straight and 12 of 14.
Dodgers right fielder Cody Bellinger left the game in the seventh inning. He rolled his right ankle in the sixth while catching a fly ball from Castellanos. Yasiel Puig hit for him the next inning. Bellinger is listed as day-to-day.
“He won’t start tomorrow, but I expect he’ll be available,” Roberts said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched five innings, allowing three hits and walking four while striking out four. He needed 89 pitches to get through five innings, and was replaced by eventual winner Ross Stripling (3-4).
“I’m satisfied that I did not give up any runs,” Ryu said. “My command wasn’t that good, so the pitch count got up. That was dissatisfying.”
Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen finished off the shutout, with Jansen pitching the ninth for his 33rd save.
Fulmer (10-11) gave up an unearned run, three hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out six.
“I felt good, and I thought my mechanical changes were great,” he said. “I was able to get the ball down in the zone, but I need to work on retiring guys with runners in scoring position.”
The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Ryu struck out Miguel Cabrera with three pitches on the outside corner. Ryu struck out Justin Upton to end the fifth with a runner in scoring position.
Wilson walked Chase Utley to start the eighth, and Chris Taylor followed with a single. Corey Seager grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, with Utley moving to third, and Turner singled up the middle to make it 2-0.
Grandal homered off Shane Greene in the ninth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: RHP Yu Darvish (back tightness) was placed on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 17. Roberts said the move was precautionary, and that Darvish will miss one start before returning to the rotation next weekend.
Tigers: OF JaCoby Jones started in center after being recalled from Triple-A Toledo when RHP Anibal Sanchez (hamstring) went on the 10-day disabled list.
WELCOME TO THE DODGERS
Granderson received an ovation when he came to bat for the first time as a Dodger, even though it was a road game. He played his first six seasons in Detroit and remains popular in the Motor City, even thought he was traded to the Yankees after the 2009 season.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (11-4, 3.76) will start the series finale for the Dodgers, and will be facing Detroit for the first time. He is 7-1 in his last nine starts with a 2.44 ERA.
Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (8-8, 4.11) makes his 42nd career interleague start on Sunday. He’s 29-5 against National League opponents, one win behind Bartolo Colon for the most among active pitchers.
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