Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After an exciting start to the series with a couple of late comebacks, the Dodgers have generally cruised to victory over the last two games, coasting again today in a 13-7 victory thanks to two big innings in the middle of the game against the Padres.
After a sweep of the A’s, they’ve taken three of four from the Padres, and are winners of six of their last seven.
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Run prevention magician Tony Gonsolin has not had his usual tricks so far in 2023, and today was more of the same. Things happened suddenly as well because he faced the minimum over the first two innings, with the only runner coming on an Enrique Hernandez error that was erased by a double play.
Things started going downhill immediately in the 3rd, as a walk was followed by a Luis Campusano two-run homer. On the next three pitches he threw, Gonsolin gave up a single, single, and Fernando Tatis Jr. double to make it 4-0 all of a sudden. After a groundout moved him to third, a Manny Machado sacrifice fly made it 5-0 before he was able to get out of the inning.
Remarkably that quickly didn’t matter all that much.
Seth Lugo started by facing one over the minimum through three, giving up a two-out single in the 1st and seeing a single in the 3rd erased by a double play. He seemed to be on his game and the Dodgers seemed to be struggling in another day game.
Well, about that. In the 4th, the Dodgers got a Freddie Freeman lead-off single, a one-out walk from Max Muncy, an RBI double from David Peralta, a two-RBI double from Jason Heyward, an Enrique walk and James Outman single to load the bases, a Miguel Rojas single to drive in another run, and finally a Mookie Betts grand slam on a 3-0 count for a massive eight-run inning. That made it 8-5 all of a sudden, and made it 31 homers on the year for Mookie.
Mookie is celebrating and happy, thus so am I. pic.twitter.com/OMVHbfWVDp
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 7, 2023
That was it for Lugo, but after the pen closed out the 4th and had a quiet 5th, the 6th saw more Dodgers fireworks.
Things started quickly as Enrique continued his resurgence as a Dodger with his 7th homer of the year. They didn’t stop after that, as Outman walked, Rojas doubled, Freeman was intentionally walked with one out to load the bases, and Will Smith blooped a single past second for a run. Muncy then doubled for two more runs, and a Peralta sacrifice fly made it 13 unanswered runs and a 13-5 lead.
I dunno, man. If it works, it works. pic.twitter.com/MBPmUVCYmt
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 7, 2023
Dodgers have scored 13 unanswered runs after Will blooped a single for one, Muncy doubled for two more, and Choo Choo hit a sac fly. pic.twitter.com/DqjIZErwm8
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 7, 2023
Meanwhile, Gonsolin suddenly had a comfortable lead and was at least keeping things sane. He gave up just an infield single in the 4th, and worked around a pair of singles in the 5th thanks to one of them being erased by a double play. In the 6th, though, a one-out double was cashed in with a two-out single by Campusano to make it 13-6, but he was also thrown out to end the frame and Gonsolin’s day.
I wouldn’t say it’s a good outing, but it was good enough today: 6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 84 Pitches.
K down, BB up, hard contact way up so homers up, and all that. Peripherals indicate across the board he's almost a 5 ERA guy right now, which is … shocking.
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 7, 2023
The Dodgers offense seemed to take the rest of the day off, getting a single in the 7th, a single in the 8th, and a double in the 9th, but no runs.
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Taking over for Tony and to complete the game was the pen. Joe Kelly was outstanding in the 7th, striking out the side on 13 pitches, just an absolutely dominating outing.
Joe Kelly's 13 pitches to strikeout the side in the 7th. Favorite part of the sequence was him shaking off Will as he came set, Will motioning to him to just bring it then, and him obliging. pic.twitter.com/3QbJ5rvwYu
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 7, 2023
Then Bryan Hudson carved the heart of the Padres order on just 13 pitches in the 8th. Hudson finished the game as well, getting two outs on two nice plays by Rojas in the 9th, but then gave up Campusano’s second homer of the afternoon to make it 13-7. Fortunately, no drama followed, and after a single an infield pop closed it out.
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lol
Orel Hershiser makes a Mini-Me reference, gets called a dork by the SNLA producers, lol. pic.twitter.com/HP6rLHkyTd
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 7, 2023
Happy times.
— Bryan Kephart (@thundercrat) August 7, 2023
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| NL WEST | RECORD |
|---|---|
| Dodgers | 65-46 |
| Giants | 61-51 (4.5 GB)* |
*Either still playing or will play later.
The Dodgers will now travel to Arizona for a two-game set with the struggling Diamondbacks. Julio Urias will look to continue to right his own ship against Brandon Pfaadt, whose name sounds like a fatphobic insult.
