Roger Arrieta
LOS ANGELES—If seven is heaven then eight is extremely great. The Dodgers returned to their long-ball ways and beat Oakland 7-2 to clinch their eighth consecutive NL West championship. Home runs from Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, A.J. Pollock and Corey Seager – coupled with a 4-2 San Diego loss to the Angels – gave LA the division championship and the No.1 seed in the National League throughout the playoffs.
The division outcome might have been the same as in the past eight years for the Dodgers, but the on-field celebration at the end of the game was extremely different due to the Covid pandemic restrictions. “It’s been really bizarre, Dodger’s manager Dave Roberts said. “There were times when I didn’t think we would even have a season. It is something we expect (the division title) but it should never be taken for granted.”
The victory is the Dodgers’ MLB-leading 39th of the year and their 15th in the last 21 games. Los Angeles is now 39-16 on the year. Oakland, who clinched the AL West earlier in the day because of a loss by the Asterisks, are now 33-21 which is the third best record in the American League.
“These are the type of teams we are going to be playing in the postseason,” Chris Taylor commented about playing the A’s. “We just need to continue to keep playing good baseball.”
GAME RECAP: The two pivotal moments in the division clincher came from offensive responses. Oakland broke out to a 1-0 lead in the first frame only to have the Dodgers tie the game after the first two batters in the bottom of the inning. The A’s jumped to their second 1-run lead in the third only to have LA answer with a pair of runs in the bottom which started the streak of six unanswered runs
Oakland took the early 1-0 lead on a Robbie Grossman opposite field homer that clanged off the foul pole. The A’s momentum was quickly doused in the bottom of the inning when Mookie Betts led off with a single to left field, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a Corey Seager single. Instead of having to chase the game in the early stages, the Dodgers were able to settle into their first home game in nine days and allow Dustin May to find his rhythm on the mound. Oakland grabbed its second 1-run lead in the third when No.9 hitter Sean Murphy got on board with a walk, advanced to third on successive ground outs and scored on a wild pitch. Los Angeles used a little “baseball luck” in the bottom of the third to swing the game in their favor. Seager skied a 2-out fly ball to center that centerfielder Mark Canha completely misplayed. He initially broke back on the ball before having to sprint forward to try and get close to the ball which landed in no-mans land. Seager’s second hit of the night set the stage for Muncy who broke out of a recent 4-for-35 (.114) slump by launching an 0-1 slider halfway up the seats in right center to give LA a 3-2 lead – a lead they would never relinquish.
“The home run felt great,” Muncy said. “But it felt even better against my former team.”
Muncy’s 424-foot shot triggered a streak of four consecutive long balls for the Dodgers that accounted for five of the six unanswered runs. Taylor and Pollock hit solo shots in the fourth inning and then Seager went yard to dead center in the fifth to give Los Angeles a 6-2 lead. The final run of the game came in the seventh when Bellinger reached on an infield single to first base that plated Betts after the bases were loaded.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
HE SAID IT: ”It’s been really bizarre. There were times when I didn’t think we would even have a season. It is something we expect but it should never be taken for granted…this among other years has been the hardest challenge. To continue to stay together and win the division is the first step.”—Dave Roberts on winning the division in 2020.
MAGIC NUMBER: Zero, nil, zip, nada, null set, bagel, doughnut. The Dodgers extended their division championship streak to eight which is the third longest in MLB history. They trail the Atlanta Braves who won an amazing 14 straight NL West/NL East titles (1991-2005) and the New York Yankees who claimed nine consecutive AL East crowns (1998-2006).
HE SAID IT 2: “We all get along together. Top to bottom the talent speaks for itself. It’s easy to play with these guys.”—Chris Taylor on what makes this Dodgers’ team so special.
CELEBRATE LIKES IT’S 2020: The on-field celebration and “party” in the clubhouse were extremely different than in the previous seven years of clinching the division championship. The Dodgers were handed t-shirts and hats after the traditional game-winning first bump line and then posed for a socially distant team pic. That was it. End of story. Nothing to see here.
HE SAID IT 3: “It’s really strange. We are on the field and the crowd is going nuts and you look around and you are the only ones out there.”—A.J. Pollock on the scene on the field after the game.
HE SAID IT 4: “We gave some speeches, had a glass of champagne each individually. You just celebrate on your own and not dump anything on anyone. Champagne showers and beer showers is fun and it sucks not to be able to do that.”—Corey Seeger on the scene in the locker room after the game.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY: If this was next Wednesday when the first round of the 16-team MLB playoffs actually begin, the Dodgers would be hosting the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew beat Cincinnati 3-2 on Tuesday and to move to 27-27 on the season. They are one of three teams with a .500 record who are fighting for the two wild card spots. The Reds would own the No.7 seed and the Brewers are No.8 due to the tiebreakers. The Giants, who are also at .500, would be the odd team out and could start packing for Cancún.
INTERLEAGUE ALL STARS: The Dodgers are now 12-3 (.800) in interleague play this season which tops all of MLB this season. Los Angeles is also 4-1 at home against AL teams.
OBSCURE STATS OF THE NIGHT: Los Angeles continued its trend of playing well after a day off. The Dodgers are now 6-2 after an off day which could bode well when they start the playoffs. LA also owns an MLB best 29-14 record in games played at night.
HO HUM – UNDER 3 AGAIN: Dustin May held his opponent to three or fewer runs for the 14th straight time to start his career. That breaks the team record which was held by Pedro Astacio who went 13 consecutive three-or-fewer-run outings to start his career in 1992. May finished his team-leading 10th start of the year on Tuesday by going 5.0 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 3 hits and striking out 5. He also earned his second win of the season and is now 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.102 WHIP.
HE SAID IT 5: “I like the way he started using the secondarys (his secondary pitches) more. I just love the way he competes every time he is out there.”—Roberts on Dustin May’s start.
HO HUM – ANOTHER BAGEL FOR THE BLUE PEN: The Dodger’s bullpen put up another zero in their 4.0 innings of work in the series opener. Victor González, Dylan Floro, Joe Kelly, Pedro Baez and Jake McGee combined for the 4-inning stint and only allowed 1 hit and struck out eight. The LA relievers have a combined ERA of 2.82 which is tops in the NL and second only to the A’s (2.42) in all of MLB. They lead the majors in WHIP (1.06) and are second in opponent’s average (.212).
WHEN DID THIS TURN INTO A SOFTBALL GAME?: At one point in the eighth inning, with Baez on the mound, the Dodgers made a defensive shift and put four players in the outfield. Taylor, who was playing second base at the time, moved into a “rover” position in right center and joined Cody Bellinger, Betts and Pollock in the outfield.
HE SAID IT 6: “It might be. To give it a little test run tonight but it’s something we are open too. Pedro is a fly ball pitcher so it makes sense.”—Roberts when he was asked if the 4-player outfield is something they might use in the playoffs.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Seager went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI and slugged his 14th homer of the year in the series opener. His 21st multiple-hit game of the year continued his tear at Dodger Stadium this year. He leads the NL in hitting in home games. Seager owns a crisp .395/.447/.763 slash line in his 20 games at Chavez Ravine this year. He has hit eight of his 14 HRs and driven in 20 of his 39 runs at home.
MVP CANDIDATES or IT’S GREAT TO BE A DODGER FAN: Betts has been in the middle of the talk of NL MVP candidates lately but don’t count out Seager down the stretch. Seager (.321/.374./.611) has a better slash line than Betts (.301/.372/.587) while Betts owns the edge in homers (16-14) and WAR (3.2-1.8). While the members of the MLB media will decide the honor at the end of the year, one thing is for sure – the Dodgers have the best No.1-2 lineup combo in all of baseball.
ON DECK: Los Angeles lefty Julio Urías will look to cure the team’s divisionhangover when he climbs the hill on Wednesday at 6:40 in Game 2 against Oakland. Urías has been very good in his last two outings. He has gone 11.2 innings in those starts, allowed six hits and three earned runs. Urías has a 2.38 ERA in those games with a 0.882 WHIP. The even better news for Dodger fans is that Urías is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.137 WHIP in his six starts at home this year. Oakland will counter with lefty Sean Manaea who is 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.208 WHIP this season. Manaea is in his fifth MLB season, all with the A’s, and owns a 39-31 lifetime record with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.196 WHIP. He has started twice against the Dodgers and is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA and a 2.087 WHIP. Both of his outings vs. LA came in 2018. He allowed 2 earned runs on 7 hits in 5.0 innings pitched in his only appearance at Dodger Stadium.
