Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
For most games, the highlight of today’s contest would be Clayton Kershaw, but Trayce Thompson made sure it was him that got the spotlight. In his first game of the season, he crushed three home runs and basically powered the offense by himself with eight RBI to help the Dodgers cruise to a 10-1 victory.
======
For a moment, let’s go back to Kershaw, who was starting the third game of the season for the Dodgers. That’s a foreign concept for him, but he didn’t seem impacted by it at all. In fact, he looked as good as ever, generating a ton of whiffs while only giving up a run thanks to long-time nemesis Christian Walker yanking a solo shot.
While he had just two clean innings, he faced just three batters with RISP, all of which came in the 3rd after a lead-off double. Kershaw got an early lead and made it stick, only being removed due to it being April.
6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K, 76 Pitches
👋👋👋 pic.twitter.com/Y0Ns9HvFKc
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 2, 2023
The Diamondbacks don’t feel like a rival, but any game against Madison Bumgarner does, and it’s extra satisfying to see him miserable and squirming early. Even better is the Dodgers jumping all over him for an early lead.
Mookie Betts led the game off with a double that was really a homer but was somehow overturned on fan interference.
No matter, as a Freddie Freeman infield single and Max Muncy getting hit led to the bases being loaded. Chris Taylor plated a run with a sacrifice fly, which felt like a win in itself, but after Miguel Vargas drew yet another walk and loaded the bases again, Trayce stepped up and started his year thriving in his new role with a grand slam to make it 5-0.
Bumgarner ended up lasting just four innings and never managed a clean one, as he labored against the Dodgers.
The pen didn’t provide any relief for the D-backs, as Kevin Ginkel entered and gave up a double to J.D. Martinez. He did rebound with two outs, but walked Vargas, and the man of the day TT crushed another homer to left for a 8-1 lead.
After a brief intermission in homers by a J.D. shot, his first as a Dodger…
…it was Trayce again in the 8th, absolutely smashing a ball halfway up the pavilion to make it a 10 spot.
Meanwhile, Andre Jackson looked great in his season debut, notching a save to the delight of Eric Stephen, only giving up baserunners on an error and a double, but getting three scoreless with one strikeout on 42 pitches to close it out.
——
Dodgers got their yearly imitations in.
Gumby?
=======
2-1.
The series finale of the four-game set finally arrives tomorrow, with an early game at 10:10 AM HT/1:10 PM PT/4:10 PM ET and Noah Syndergaard facing Zach Davies.
