Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Despite a 20-minute rain delay and fighting bleak weather, the Dodgers completed the sweep over the Giants, even though it took them extras to do it. The 4-3 win made them 15-4 this year against their rivals.
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The weather was a factor throughout and impacted the game starting from the first pitch on a Mookie Betts “single”.
Oh yeah, it was windy and rainy throughout.
Maybe that led to a bit of a slow start, as it took until the 4th for the game to get a run in, but it happened after Freddie Freeman started the frame with a walk and the red-hot Justin Turner ripped a double to left to score him.
On the other side, Andrew Heaney was dominant early on, retiring the first nine hitters of the game. However, the 4th started with a single, and later a ground-rule double (that cost the Giants a run) and a walk loaded the bases with just one out. However, Heaney got back-to-back strikeouts to escape the trouble.
That was the end of his start as the Dodgers probably don’t want to risk it with the delay and his injury history: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 65 Pitches.
The pen started with Caleb Ferguson in the 5th, who gave up a lead-off double, but sure seemed like he got out of it with a two-out grounder to Trea Turner. However, Trea threw high to first for an error and that allowed the tying run to score. An unearned run but a run nonetheless.
Well, the Dodgers took all of two at-bats to get that back after a Trea double to start the 6th that was followed by a Freddie single for a 2-1 lead.
Back to the Dodgers pen, Phil Bickford got a dominant 6th with a pair of Ks as he continues to regain his 2021 form. Evan Phillips then entered for the 7th and allowed a single, but also struck out three.
Tasked with the 8th, Alex Vesia and struggled by starting a rally for the Giants himself with back-to-back walks. After a strikeout and a flyout to the wall, he was on the verge of escaping, but gave up a game-tying double that he was lucky was of the ground-rule variety to keep it at just a run. Vesia did manage to keep it at 2-2 with a strikeout to end the inning.
The 9th belonged to Craig Kimbrel, who bounced back from the walk-off in his last outing, notching an 11-pitch inning that kept things tied.
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While the Dodger bats were quiet since the 6th, the ghost runner was a boon as Austin Barnes laid down a sacrifice bunt and Mookie doubled down the line for a 3-2 lead.
An intentional walk to Freeman followed, and he later stole second, which was followed by an intentional unintentional walk to JT to load things up. Max Muncy then stepped up and drew a five-pitch walk with his incredible eye to push the lead to 4-2.
The closer in extras? Andre Jackson. He started with a lead-off walk, then gave up a massive fly ball that was thankfully to the deepest part of one of the biggest parks in big time wind and damp conditions for an out, and then a single made it 4-3. He rebounded with a strikeout, but then issued a walk to load the bases.
That had Dave Roberts call on Justin Bruihl with the game on the line, and he induced a grounder to secure the win.
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The Dodgers improve to 101-44, which is a 113-win pace.
Also killing it on the road.
| TEAM | CHASE | GAMES |
|---|---|---|
| Astros | MLB | 6 Up |
| Mets | NL | 9.5 Up |
| Clinched | NL West | Doesn’t Matter |
The Dodgers now travel home for a five-game (yes, five) series against the Diamondbacks, starting tomorrow at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET with Clayton Kershaw facing Merrill Kelly.
