Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers quickly matched and then surpassed Saturday’s run total in Miami, putting up a pair of runs in the 1st inning against the Marlins‘ Edward Cabrera, who is not Sandy Alcantara. Cabrera did settle down for a while after a rough start, with the Dodgers finally breaking through again in the 5th to chase him from the game.
The 8-1 win pushed the Dodgers back to 50 games over .500 at 88-38 and guaranteed they would once again avoid potentially losing a series for the first time since the end of July as Monday’s finale could get them their ninth series win in 11 tries since the All-Star break.
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Mookie Betts opened the game with his fourth homer in the past three games, sending a 91 mph change-up 416 feet to center. Just the third pitch of the game, Betts hit the ball 107.7 mph which tied for his second hardest hit of the season behind his double off Corbin Burnes from a few days ago. In fact, nine of Betts’ 11 hardest hit balls have come since July 22.
Four straight balls by Cabrera put Trea Turner at first, with a Max Muncy single sending him to third with one away. Justin Turner came through with a single of his own to bring in Trea, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead before Julio Urias took the mound.
While Cabrera needed 29 pitches to get out of the inning, he did strike out Freddie Freeman, Joey Gallo and Gavin Lux around the three hits and walk. Having put down the latter two to end the inning with two men on, it seemed like maybe he had settled in.
Then Trayce Thompson sent the second pitch of the 2nd inning 413 feet at 111.9 mph, his hardest hit ball of the season, down the left field line for a 3-0 lead.
Cabrera did actually settle down after Thompson’s homer, with 11 straight retired until hitting Trea Turner with two out in the 5th. While the Dodgers couldn’t capitalize on that, even after Trea stole second, they did put two on in the 6th as Cabrera neared 100 pitches. JT and Gallo flew out after Muncy led off the inning with a single, who moved to second on a walk to Lux. Another six pitches and a walk to Thompson ended Cabrera’s day, with Tommy Nance entering to face Austin Barnes with the bases loaded and two out.
Barnes promptly greeted him with a single on the second pitch of the at-bat to push the Dodgers out to a 5-1 lead. Betts added a single of his own on the very next pitch for a 6-1 lead before Nance escaped the inning with a strikeout against Trea.
Three hits in the 7th inning off of Richard Bleier didn’t amount to any runs as Freeman was picked off after a leadoff single and Lux left JT and Chris Taylor stranded at second and third with two outs.
Also held scoreless in the 8th despite Betts doubling with two outs, the Dodgers kept adding to the lead in the 9th with three straight hits and a walk scoring one and loading the bases. Singles for Freeman and Muncy opened the inning, with JT making it 7-1 with a double. A walk to CT3 loaded the bases before a double play brought in one last run for the 8-1 final score.
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While the Dodgers offense slowed after a strong start, Urias rolled through much of the afternoon without any problems.
Save for a home run by Brian Anderson to open the fourth, with Trea on commentary, Urias never found himself in too much trouble.
While he did walk four, Urias allowed just the one hit and scattered the walks in different innings. Striking out seven through 6 innings, five came on his four-seamer with one apiece on the curve and change-up.
Finishing at 101 pitches, Urias left after the 6th with Brusdar Graterol taking over in the 7th. He needed just 13 pitches to record three ground outs for a scoreless inning. Chris Martin got the 8th, allowing a two-out single but only needed 10 pitches to end the inning. Alex Vesia closed out the game in the 9th, striking out a pair to wrap it up with just two hits for the Marlins.
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The Dodgers and Marlins wrap up the series tomorrow at 3:40 p.m. before heading north for a three-game series in New York against the Mets.
