The bullpen mounds near the left-field pavilion stood empty as the eighth inning began on Monday evening. The inactivity symbolized the trust extended by Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts to the most combustible reliever in his relief corps. Chris Hatcher trotted out of his dugout for his second inning of work.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Dodgers relievers faced 181 batters. All 181 stayed within the ballpark. At 9:40 p.m. on Monday, the Dodgers operated the only bullpen in baseball who had yet to yield a home run. A minute later, in the climatic moment of a 4-2 defeat to Arizona, the team lost that distinction, and a game along with it.