Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Despite a trip-up against the Marlins to end that series, the Dodgers continued to stay hot with another win against the Diamondbacks to take the first two contests of this series. They used three homers to total seven runs in a 9-1 victory.
Gavin Lux in particular was a standout again, with his grand slam providing the necessary cushion to cruise to a win. In May, he has a .327/.383/.491/.874 line and his cut his strikeout rate in half.
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Corbin Martin made his debut for Diamondbacks and was greeted rudely almost immediately, as Mookie Betts took the second pitch he saw for a lead-off homer to make it 1-0 early.
Unfortunately, as the staff has had a tendency to do so far this year, Julio Urias gave it back in the 2nd. After hitting a batter with one down, he then gave up a two-out double that plated a run and tied things at 1-1.
Yoshi Tsutsugo made his Dodgers debut in the 2nd, drawing a walk but it amounted to nothing as he was stranded. The Dodgers did the same in the 3rd after loading the bases and failing to come through. In the 5th, the lineup finally cashed in a runner, with Max Muncy getting a one-out single before Chris Taylor stepped up. CT3, freshly back in the starting lineup after a wrist issue, simply bypassed the need to hit with RISP by hitting it over the wall for his fifth of the year to make it 3-1.
Alex Young relieved Martin in the 6th and allowed an amusing two-out rally with a Lux single and then one from Urias to put runners at the corners, but the bats couldn’t capitalize on the chance. Young started the 7th as well, issuing a walk to Max Muncy before being relieved by Kevin Ginkel. He struggled as well, allowing a single to Taylor and then walking Will Smith on four pitches to load the bases with nobody out. After a strikeout, Albert Pujols got hit by a pitch to force in a run and make it 4-1, but Ginkle was on the verge of getting out of it after recording a harmless fly out. Thankfully, Lux stayed hot, lining a ball just over the right-field wall for a grand slam and his second dong of the year to make it 8-1.
Urias meanwhile, after the run-scoring double in the 2nd, retired 13 batters in a row. That was broken up in the 7th with a single that CT3 kinda ole’d, and then a two-out single against the shift resulted in a scoring chance. Urias exited and his line was impressive: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 92 Pitches.
The reason he was only charged with the one run is Blake Treinen did his job in relief, getting a fly out to end the threat. Due to the offensive outburst, that was Treinen’s only batter he faced and he was relieved by David Price, who got a 1-2-3 frame with a strikeout in the 8th.
On the other side of the 8th, the Dodgers added to their lead behind a single from Mookie, who advanced to second on a ground out, and then scored on a two-out single from Smith to make it 9-1.
Alex Vesia then closed things out in the 9th with a clean frame that also included a strikeout. Nice and easy.
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All of a sudden, the Dodgers are now 24-18.
The series will continue tomorrow at the same time, 4:10 PM HST/7:10 PM PST/10:10 PM EST, with Clayton Kershaw facing Merrill Kelly.
