Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers came into New York for a three-game series and left with a three-game sweep of the Mets. After back-to-back extra-inning one-run wins, the Dodgers cruised to a 14-4 victory tonight. They have now won seven of their last eight games.
They had to have it and they got it.
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Carlos Carrasco was making just his fourth start of the season, and he had a rough one tonight. Trea Turner started the game with a single and Justin Turner, back in the starting lineup, victimized his old team with a two-run shot (his 21st).
Will Smith then homered for the third consecutive game, his 18th.
The 2nd didn’t go much better, with Cody Bellinger starting with a double, Trea Turner trading places with him to plate a run, and then Max Muncy smashing an oppo homer (his 24th) to make it 6-0.
Max Scherzer wasn’t exactly dominant, but certainly his line would’ve looked even better if the defense helped him out at all.
He walked a batter in the 1st and gave up a single in the 2nd, but had to work around multiple baserunners in both innings due to defensive misplays. A walk and a double to start the 3rd put him in trouble as well, but he limited the damage to one run by rebounding with a pop out, a ground out that scored a run, and a strikeout.
The 4th was another defensive mess, with an infield single starting things after Trea couldn’t get his feet right, a fielder’s choice that saw everybody safe as Corey Seager couldn’t make up his mind, and then a walk to load the bases. However, Max again bared down, getting a ground out that scored a run and then a strikeout to limit the damage. 6-2.
That said, Scherzer closed things out about as well as could be expected with consecutive 1-2-3 frames in the 5th and 6th, both with two strikeouts: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 94 Pitches.
Old friend Jake Reed is now on the Mets and pitched three scoreless innings for them, giving up just a pair of singles from the 3rd through the 5th.
Yennsy Diaz took over in the 6th and picked up where Carrasco left off. A fly-ball triple from Billy McKinney that probably should’ve been caught led to a Scherzer sacrifice fly, then Trea walked and stole second, before Max Muncy continued to put together his case for MVP by smashing his second homer of the night (25th of the year) to make it 9-2.
Blowout games are weirdly where the Dodgers pen has been most frustrating, constantly requiring leverage relievers to rescue them. Things didn’t get off to a great start in the 7th, as Darien Nunez gave up two walks and a single while only recording one out. Edwin Uceta then entered and didn’t start off any better, throwing a wild pitch to score a run, re-walking the bases loaded, giving up another run on a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center to make it 9-4, before finally getting a strikeout to end it. To Uceta’s credit, he had a solid outing, continuing in the 8th with a perfect inning that included two strikeouts.
Fortunately, Geoff Hartlieb wasn’t as effective over the long haul as Reed was. He struck out the side in the 7th, though he did hit Smith. The 8th was different, as he gave up a single to Uceta (yes), walked Muncy, threw a wild pitch, walked Seager to load the bases, and then gave up a two-run single to Smith and a double to Chris Taylor that drove in another to make it 12-4.
Position player Brandon Drury took over in the 9th for the Mets, getting the first two outs quickly. However, he then hit Trea with a lob and then Matt Beaty pinch hit and went upper tank for his fifth homer to make it 14-4. Then Justin Turner and Corey Seager had back-to-back singles and Will Smith walked to load the bases.
That led to Kevin Pillar entering in relief, getting a fly out to mercifully end things.
Conner Greene then closed it out with a scoreless 9th, allowing just an infield single.
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Speaking of Scherzer, Max gave Dave Roberts clear instructions.
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The Dodgers improve to 72-46 on the season, remaining 4 games back of the Giants in the NL West.
The team will now travel home despite the late game to welcome the Pirates to Dodger Stadium at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET. The Dodgers will use a pen game with Mitch White (3.86 ERA/4.36 FIP/4.01 xERA | 28 IP) being the bulk guy against Steven Brault (3.00/4.63/8.64 | 9 IP) making his third start of the season.
