*Photo from AP News*
Needing a jolt late, the Los Angeles Dodgers turned to the main man Mookie Betts. Freddie Freeman homered, Betts broke a tie with a late 3 run homer, and the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants with a 9-6 victory on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
In their first game out of the all star break, the Dodgers built a 5-0 lead before the Giants stormed back to tie it, and take a brief lead. Then, the Dodgers unleashed some Mookie magic to put the Dodgers in front for good, making it their 5th straight win, dating back to before the all star break.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Betts after the game that "He just showcased what a great all-around ballplayer he is. Gosh, he did everything. He showed all of his skills tonight, with the bat, with the legs, with the glove, obviously. Clutch moment with the big three-run homer. That’s why he’s one of the best in the game."
The first inning saw the Dodgers build an early 1-0 lead when Freeman hit a solo home run to center field. In the second inning, Hanser Alberto scored on an RBI double from Trayce Thompson to double the lead. In the 3rd, a two run double from Justin Turner and an RBI double from Alberto built the lead to 5-0 for the Dodgers.
In the 7th inning, Evan Longoria got the Giants on the board with a solo home run to make it a 5-1 game. The game was suddenly tied when Darin Ruf belted a grand slam to left field, making it a 5-5 ballgame. In the 8th, a walk from Thairo Estrada scored a run to put the Giants ahead 6-5. In the bottom of the 8th, Thompson tripled in the tying run, and Betts followed that up with his 3 run home run to put the Dodgers ahead 9-6, a lead that stood.
Thompson said of Betts that "The guy’s one of the best in the game out there. He gets amazing jumps. Obviously, everyone knows how good of a hitter and all-around player he is, but as a defender, and especially as a guy that has an infield background, it's pretty incredible. I mean, he has all the accolades you could ever think of."
Evan Phillips got the win for the Dodgers, after allowing one run in the 8th inning to improve to 4-3 this season. Mitch White got the start, pitching 5 shutout innings while allowing 3 baserunners. Caleb Ferguson, Phil Bickford, Alex Vesia, and Craig Kimbrel also pitched, with Kimbrel getting the save.
It was Dominic Leone who got the loss for the Giants, giving up two of the 3 runs that scored on the 3 run home run, with Jarlin Garcia pitching the ball to Betts in the 8th. Carlos Rodon got hit around in his start, allowing 5 runs in 5 innings pitched. Yunior Marte and John Brebbia also pitched.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that "I think if Jarlín was standing right here, he’d tell you that he has to come in and throw strikes to Bellinger. That’s the guy he’s there to get. Any base hit there is totally fine, but we need him to come in and throw competitive pitches from the jump. I think Jarlín will own that. It was a major factor in the game, obviously."
Up next, the Dodgers and Giants continue their series on Friday night. The Dodgers start Tyler Anderson, while Logan Webb goes for the Giants.
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