Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After a day off to marinate on their honestly terrible series loss to the Diamondbacks and playing .500 ball on the road trip, the Dodgers returned home and got right against the Tigers, taking a 5-1 victory to start this series.
Early power displays from Justin Turner (!!!) and Chris Taylor put them up and the pitching led by Tyler Anderson was more than enough to make it stand.
======
The Tigers ran out Tyler Alexander, who has averaged less than four innings a start this year, and he didn’t improve on that tonight. Things started quickly in the 1st behind a Freddie Freeman walk and then Justin Turner turning on an inside fastball for his first homer of the year to make it 2-0.
Chris Taylor then added to that lead in the 2nd with a dinger of his own, also his first, making it 3-0.
On the other end, Tyler Anderson started his second game and continued to be rock solid, this time stretching out a bit to give the Dodgers an extra inning. After allowing just an infield single through the first two frames, he then allowed two singles and a walk that plated one run in the 3rd, cutting the advantage to 3-1, but managed to limit the damage to just that.
Thankfully the Dodgers didn’t relent, as their half of the 3rd saw more trouble for Alexander behind a Mookie Betts walk, Freddie Freeman single, and a Trea Turner sacrifice fly that extended the lead to 4-1, and that was the end of his night.
Wily Peralta took over and ended the 3rd, but a Will Smith walk, and two two-out singles (along with an error) from Gavin Lux and Mookie led to a run crossing the plate and the lead being 5-1.
As mentioned before, Anderson gave the Dodgers five innings instead of his usual four, giving up singles in the 4th and 5th but nothing else in a great start: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 69 Pitches. Seems like he could’ve done even more if necessary.
But it wasn’t necessary, as the pen had it locked down. Evan Phillips, Phil Bickford, and Brusdar Graterol each got dominant and clean innings from the 6th to 8th.
Reyes Moronta was given the 9th, and he allowed the only baserunner the pen faced, though it was on an infield single and he erased it immediately with a double play, facing the minimum in his scoreless frame to close it out.
——
Brusdar got to meet a hero of his and I assume his family got to say hi.
Clayton Kershaw … uh.
——
Additionally, I wanted to bring attention to this shirt, which looks dope. Since this is Dodger Stadium relevant, it gives me the chance to work it in here.
======
A potential losing streak avoided with the win, making them 13-6.
Tomorrow same time at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET with Clayton Kershaw against Beau Brieske.
