Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — The second half of the season got underway pretty much the way the first half ended: strong starting pitching, good hitting up and down the lineup, and waaaaay too much drama in the 9th inning. The Dodgers rode yet another strong Tony Gonsolin start and four home runs to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Chavez Ravine on Thursday night, the seventh win of this long homestand.
Mookie’s great (early edition)
The Dodgers jumped off to a lead in the first inning, thanks to the one and only Mookie Betts. Betts, who had been scuffling a little prior to going on the IL last month, is playing like a house on fire since his return. So, it wasn’t at all surprising that the Dodger outfielder would add another lead-off homer to his resume. He smacked the second pitch he saw from Cubs starter Mark Leiter Jr. and sent it deep to left center field. It cleared the fence and gave the Dodgers a quick 1-0 lead.
However, the team would have to be satisfied with just the one run, as they wasted a nice double by Trea Turner with three straight outs. Still, they had an early lead and the Catman on the mound. The game was off to a good start.
Lux and Turner keep it going
The Dodgers were just getting started in this one. In the second inning, after a Trayce Thompson double, Gavin Lux absolutely destroyed a ball for his third home run of the year. It was probably the best swing that Lux has put on a ball all year and it easily cleared the right field fence for a 412-foot dinger. It’s nice to see Luxy showing a little power to go along with that nice average.
Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Justin Turner decided to keep the home run party going. He smashed a one-out blast deep to center field. It wasn’t a nacho splashdown, but it did manage to destroy the plastic helmet of some fan who tried to use the helmet to catch the ball. The Turner blast put the Dodgers up 4-0, which should be a pretty comfortable lead for a guy with an ERA around 1.50.
Gonsolin continues to make All Star case
Tony Gonsolin meanwhile was cruising through the Cubs’ batting order. Through the first four innings, he had given up just two singles, one of which was erased trying to steal second. He gave up a couple of runs in the fifth on a homer off the bat of rookie Christopher Morel that just stayed fair down the left field line, but other than that, he was aces. And, in a move showing growing confidence from both pitcher and manager, he was allowed to complete seventh inning on his own. Take that, Sandy Alcantara! His final line for the night: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
Mookie’s great (late edition)
After Brusdar Graterol and Phil Bickford combined for a 1-2-3 eighth, the Dodgers came to bat in the bottom of the frame looking for some insurance in a 4-2 game. And Mookie Betts was happy to oblige. After being plunked in the hand in the previous at-bat, Betts got his revenge the best way possible.
He got ahead of Cubs reliever Michael Rucker 3-1, and then just unloaded on the next pitch. He drilled a four-seam fastball to the deepest part of the park for his second home run of the night. July Mookie is looking a lot like May Mookie. His slash line so far this month is an MVP-like .316/.405/.895. It looks like his participation in the ASG is pretty secure at this point, but there is still time to vote. VOTING ENDS JULY 8th, SO CLICK HERE TO VOTE MOOKIE (AND TREA) INTO THE LINEUP!
More Kimbrel fun in the 9th
At first, it looked like the top of the 9th would be a 1-2-3 night for Craig Kimbrel and we could all be talking about how good he looked. After all, he struck out the first two hitters in the Cubs’ batting order back-to-back and seemed to be well on the way to his 15th save of the season. But it was not to be.
Ian Happ banged a single to center and then stole second without a throw. Seiya Suzuki hit a little bloop that Mookie Betts was a little tentative on (can you blame the guy?) and it turned into a run scoring double. When Kimbrel walked Patrick Wisdom to put the potential tying run on base, Dave Roberts had seen enough. With a left handed hitter coming up, Roberts made the rare move of lifting a closer when his team still had a lead. But Alex Vesia came in and put a quick stop to this foolishness, striking out pinch hitter Nelson Velazquez on a 3-2 fastball in the heart of the plate.
Game over. Whew! These ninth innings are making me start to long for the “peaceful” days of Kenley Jansen closing games!
Anderson takes the mound Friday
The Dodgers look to make it five wins in a row on Friday. It will be Tyler Anderson on the mound, toeing the rubber against the Cubs’ Keegan Thompson, who has been one of the Northsiders’ best pitchers this year with a 7-3 record and 3.41 ERA. Game time 7:10 pm.
Cans of Corn…
- Dodgers super-scout Mike Brito, so instrumental in bringing Fernandomania to LA, passed away on Thursday. Sad news.
- Brusdar Graterol had to leave the game in the middle of an at-bat with some discomfort in his rib area. We’ll have to keep an eye on that.
- Props to Phil Bickford for coming in cold and getting two quick outs in the 8th.
- Lux might not make the All Star game this year, but his time is coming…
- Dodgers are starting to put it all together.
