Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Amusingly, the Dodgers have swept the four-game season series with the Angels after a pleasant 10-5 blowout in the last game of the first half.
Honestly, the Dodgers would probably want to keep playing for a bit more with the way the offense is rolling right now.
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Reid Detmers dominated the Dodgers in Anaheim in his last start against them, but things went downhill quickly today.
It actually started with the first batter of the game as Mookie Betts began the game with his 26th dinger of the year.
Mookie Betts with another lead-off homer. 26 on the year now. pic.twitter.com/RLJDcv1egs
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
Mookie Betts breaks Joc Pederson's record for most leadoff HR in a season. Betts has 10 leadoff HR this year. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 9, 2023
Things didn’t get better for him in the 2nd, as Max Muncy finally didn’t hit a fly ball to the warning track, instead leading off the inning with his 21st homer.
Muncy fell like 40 total feet short of three homers yesterday, made sure he got one out today. pic.twitter.com/ok52M2kNDA
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
With one down, Miguel Vargas got hit by a pitch and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. Then the runners were cornered when James Outman dribbled a ball down the line the other way against the shift for an infield single. After a strikeout, the rally was in danger, but the Two-Out Dodgers got to work immediately, partially due to Phil Nevin‘s choice to walk Mookie to load the bases.
Freddie Freeman followed with a bloop double off the glove of Luis Rengifo for a pair of runs, and Will Smith immediately followed with a single to drive in another two as Rengifo comically threw a ball to the moon.
6-0.
Freddie bloops a double into left for a pair of runs and Dills follows with a single to drive in two more as Rengifo has a hilarious outfield adventure. pic.twitter.com/SFSHrsbkmM
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
After stranding back-to-back hit batters to start the 3rd, the Dodgers got revenge in the 4th. Perhaps still taking the intentional walk in front of him personally, Freddie stepped up and hit his 17th homer of the year, which was his third game in a row with one.
Freddie makes it three games in a row with a dinger. pic.twitter.com/kcCMacWKsf
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
That knocked Detmers out of the game, but that didn’t help the Angels much. Immediately a Smith walk, J.D. Martinez single, and then Muncy single scored another run and made it 8-0.
Muncy standing in the box on this single cause he assumed he would've got the bad luck again. pic.twitter.com/lhE904kO1C
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
Meanwhile, on the Dodgers’ pitching staff side of things, they started with Alex Vesia as The Opener, and while he gave up a lead-off single to Shohei Ohtani, he bared down with a foul out and a pair of strikeouts to start the game off.
Bulk boi Michael Grove took over in the 2nd, and he did quite well initially. After giving up just a single in the 2nd and working nicely around a triple in the 3rd, he got back-to-back clean frames in the 4th and 5th.
As a leader of Grove to reliever movement, I have to point out that his effectiveness started to wane in his fifth inning. He did get the first two outs in the 6th, but then gave up a double, another double to David Fletcher that ended the shutout, and a single to Mike Moustakas to plate another and cut the lead to 8-2. Eventually, he did manage to stop the bleeding.
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After a clean 5th for the Angels pen, the Dodgers did get some of that back in the 6th behind a Martinez homer, his 22nd of the year to make it 9-2.
With this Just Dingers dong, Dills is the only All-Star for the Dodgers in the lineup who hasn't homered yet today. #SMH pic.twitter.com/pKa33FZb3Y
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
Grove actually continued into the 7th, and while he issued a one-out walk, he then induced a double play ball that looked like it might get him out of it. However, Yonny Hernandez had an awkward feed to second and they only got one out. Ohtani quickly made him pay with his 32nd homer of the year to cut the lead to 9-4.
Shohei Ohtani has homered again! He now has 32 before the All-Star break! pic.twitter.com/vxlI0R7was
— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2023
That was the end of the road for Grove, who did his job tonight: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 79 Pitches.
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The Dodgers didn’t let the Angels have any momentum tonight, though. They came back in the 7th with a David Peralta‘s 7th homer of the year for an 10-4 advantage
Choo Choo Man pic.twitter.com/I6V5u3znF6
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
While the Dodgers weren’t able to take advantage of back-to-back walks with two outs in the 8th, it was enough at that point.
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In relief of the reliever-starter Grove was Bryan Hudson in the 8th, who cruised through a comfortable clean frame. While he started the 9th, things didn’t go ideally as he went single, walk, and infield single to load the bases. Credit to him for bouncing back with a strikeout and then getting an Ohtani sacrifice fly to minimize the damage to 10-5.
Evan Phillips then entered for the final out in a save situation, and his outing lasted three sweepers.
Evan Phillips closes out the mini-sweep and season series sweep with a good morning, good afternoon, and good night on sweepers. pic.twitter.com/vq2jCEMwXn
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2023
That makes it 10 in a row over the Angels.
lol
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| NL WEST | RECORD |
|---|---|
| Diamondbacks | 52-38 |
| Dodgers | 51-38 (0.5 GB) |
| Giants | 48-41 (3.5 GB) |
*Either still playing or will play later.
Hello and welcome to the All-Star break! Be sure to catch the five Dodgers who will be in the All-Star Game on July 11th.
