Roger Arrieta
LOS ANGELES—It was a good news, bad news scenario for the Dodgers in the final series opener of the regular season. The good news was that LA pounded out five home runs, overcame multiple-run deficits on three occasions and beat the Angels 9-5. The bad news is that the Angels’ loss clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Asterisks.
Justin Turner led the long-ball barrage as he went deep twice and appeared in fine form to make a run in the upcoming playoffs. He launched solo shots in the third and fifth to double his season output for the year. Turner’s two taters were a part off a 12-hit attack that saw Turner, Max Muncy and Will Smith all post multiple-hit games. Smith also provided the game-winning base knock. He connected on a 2-run homer in the fifth that finished off an impressive 9-pitch at-bat.
The win assured the Dodgers of the best record in MLB for the 2020 season. LA is 41-17 and now owns a 3-win advantage over Tampa Bay with two games left in the regular season. It is the seventh time in club history that they have posted the best regular-season record. The Dodgers have advanced to the World Series in each of the previous six times they owned the best record.
GAME RECAP: It was all about the offense on Friday as the two teams combined for 14 runs, eight home runs and 24 base hits. The only downside for LA is that Clayton Kershaw started the game and, in his own words, he “wasn’t very good”. Kershaw only lasted 4.0 innings and allowed eight hits and four runs – although only one was earned.
The Dodgers grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Mookie Betts stole home on the back end of a double steal with Muncy. It wasn’t so much of a steal, more like a botched defensive play by the Angels. Muncy broke for second with two outs in the inning and Angels’ catcher Max Stassi threw down to second base to get Muncy. Muncy stopped before reaching the base to try and get in a rundown which would allow Betts to score but the throw was dropped by second baseman Luis Rengifo. The misplayed putout attempt on the double steal allowed Betts to jog home and Muncy to walk into second base.
LA would hold the 1-0 lead until the third when Mike Trout did what Mike Trout does. He connected on a hanging curve on the eighth pitch of his at-bat and sent it over the left-center fence. Trout’s 17th blast of the year gave the Halos a 3-1 lead. It would be the first of their three multiple-run leads of the game. The third inning would also cost Kershaw from going deeper into the game. He had to throw a season-high 34 pitches to get out of the frame.
The Dodgers whittled the deficit to a single run on Turner’s first long ball of the night. He deposited a fastball into the LA bullpen area in left field in the third. The Angels would retake the 2-run lead in the fourth when Justin Upton hit a leadoff homer off of Kershaw.
The teams also traded solo shots in the bottom of the fourth and top of the fifth. A.J. Pollock hit a 417-foot long ball to left center in the bottom of the fourth and Jared Walsh went yard in the top of the fifth.
Los Angeles would finish off their 41st win of the year by scoring five unanswered runs in their final three at-bats. Turner blasted his second solo shot – a 436-foot special that landed halfway up the pavilion in deep left. Muncy shook off a wrist stinger on a check swing in the next at-bat and filleted a pitch to left field. Smith followed with the at-bat of the game for LA as he fouled off four straight pitches on a 2-2 count before leaving the building on a change-up. It was his seventh HR of the year and proved to be the game-winning hit. The final three runs of the game were provided by players who started the game on the bench but provided key hits to finish off the 5-run streak. Joc Pederson pinch-hit in the seventh – stayed on a 2-2, off-speed pitch and drove it to center field for an RBI single that scored Smith. Edwin Ríos finished off the 8-homer game by using his patented 1-hand, windmill follow through to pound a 2-run HR in the eighth. It was his seventh long ball of the year and plated Seager who walked to start the 2-out rally.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY: It would be a familiar foe in the opening round of the 16-team playoffs if the postseason started after Friday’s game. The Giants split a DH with the Padres and are now 29-29. They are one game behind Miami and Cincinnati who are tied for the No.6 and No.7 spots at 30-28 and a one game clear of Philadelphia and Milwaukee who are 28-30.
OBSCURE STAT OF THE NIGHT: The 5-homer game marked the ninth time this season that LA has left the year at least four times. Of those nine games, seven have come at home. The Dodgers are 8-1 when they hit at least four homers in all games and 6-1 at home.
A KERSHAW HICCUP: Kershaw suffered through his shortest outing of 2020, allowed the most hits of his 10 starts and the four runs tied his most allowed in the year. All-in-all it was a performance to put in the trash can and get ready for a start in Game 1 or Game 2 of the playoffs. Kershaw’s entire body of work for the season is still impressive. He is 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA, a 0.842 WHIP and opposing hitters are hitting .194.
HE SAID IT: “It was a bad night. Nothing was great. Thankful it’s now and not later. I probably won’t think about it much and get ready for the next one.”—Kershaw on his outing.
HE SAID IT 2: “Probably not throw curve balls down the middle.”—Kershaw on how he could do better in the at-bat to Mike Trout where Trout hit a 3-run homer to give the Angels a 3-1 lead.
HE SAID IT 3: “It was supposed to be a normal start. This was due to lack of skill today.”—Kershaw on what the plan was for his final outing of the regular season and if he was taken out of the game because of pitch count.
WE’LL TAKE BAZOOKA FOR THE WIN: Brusdar Graterol got his first “W” in Dodger Blue on Friday. He gave up a solo homer in the fifth but went on to retire the next three batters he faced. He pitched 1.0 innings and allowed just the one hit. Graterol is now 1-2 with a 3.22 ERA. And yes, he still leads MLB in pitches thrown in triple digits.
THEY JUST KEEP WINNING AND WINNING AND WINNING: Make it 25 wins for the Blue Pen. Graterol’s first career LA win gives the Blue Pen 61.0% of the team’s victories in 2020. LA relievers are still first or second in the majors in wins, ERA (2.83) opponent’s average (.209), opponent’s slugging percentage (.326) and WHIP (1.05).
HAMMY SCHMAMMY: Turner shook off notions that he is still being hampered by a hamstring injury that caused him to go on the 10-day IL. JT went 2-for-3 in the series opener and raised his average to .310 on the season. Turner has a slash line of .429/.484/.714 in his eight games since returning from the IL. He also has five-multiple-hit games and 20 total bases. Yeah, he’s ready for the postseason.
HE SAID IT 4: “I recovered quicker from the pull in the hammy than the bruise.”—Turner on his hamstring injury and the fact that he was beaned in the same hamstring just before straining it. The HBP caused a huge bruise that eventually drained into his knee and lower leg.
SMITHTEMBER CONTINUES: Will Smith is the best catcher in the NL. Go ahead and convince us otherwise. Smith has the best slash line (.290/.403/.570) and highest OPS (.973) of any starting catcher in the NL and also handles the best pitching staff in baseball. End of story. Smith had another multiple-hit game on Friday and is now hitting .356 for the month of September. He has an OPS of 1.043 in the month and has multiple-hit games in half the games (8/16) he has played.
ON DECK: The Dodgers will look to make it 15 series wins in 2020 when they host the Angels in Game 2 on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. It’s a true “Caturday” with Tony Gonsolin making the start for LA. Gonsolin is 1-2 with a 1.77 ERA and a 0.787 WHIP in 2020. He is coming off a career-high 10-strikeout performance against Colorado and he not allowed more than three hits in six of his eight appearances this year. Gonsolin has never faced the Angels in his career and is 2-1 with a 1.34 ERA and a 0.772 WHIP in his 33.2 innings pitched at Dodger Stadium. LA will be facing righty Dylan Bundy. Bundy has been the ace of the LAA staff this year. He is 6-3 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.036 WHIP. Bundy pitched for the Orioles in his first five seasons in the majors before being traded to the Halos on Dec. 4. Bundy has faced the Dodgers twice in his career. Once in 2016 and then again last year when he started for the Orioles in the interleague game on Sept. 12 in Baltimore. In that game he went 5.2 innings, allowed four runs on six hits and struck out six.
