Steve Webb
Game 7, 4/1/2024: Dodgers 8, Giants 3
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Your Los Angeles Dodgers continue to mash. In what seemed like a mismatch most of the night, the home team got ahead early and stayed there against the visiting Giants, easily beating their in-state rivals by a score of 8-3.
In the seventh game of the season, we finally rolled around to the fifth spot in the rotation, and lefty James Paxton finally got to toe the Dodger Stadium rubber in this one. And he acquitted himself rather nicely. There was a lot of trafic through his five innings of work, but nobody crossed the plate. And in a show of confidence, manager Dave Robert let the veteran work his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth. Hovering around 90 pitches, the one they call Big Maple was able to coax a ground ball out of Wilmer Flores to retire the side and end a scoreless outing. His line for the night: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K.
“I felt good,” Paxton said. “I didn’t really feel, like, sharp. Five walks, I was kind of in and out of good rhythm. But Will [Smith] did a great job back there and we made pitches when we had to.”
As for the offense, things got off to a great start when the red-hot Mookie Betts led off the home half of the first with a triple and scored on an RBI groundout a few pitches later. By the time Paxton handed the ball off to the pen, the team had a 3-0 lead, thanks to a couple of additional runs in the third inning.
However, it was against the Giants bullpen that the Dodgers really started to flex their muscles. Teoscar Hernandez clubbed a three-run homer in the sixth, and then Mookie, Freddie, and Will Smith all came through with big hits in the seventh to put the nail in the coffin for the Giants.
“It’s kind of amazing that All-Stars and a Silver Slugger slide under the radar,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. “But Teoscar’s huge. As soon as we signed him, I was like, ‘Ooh, that’s a big bat in the middle of the lineup,’ and he’s been proving it. James was great.”
This marks the seventh straight game that the Dodgers have scored more than five runs. The last time the Dodgers started the season with such a streak was way back in the 19th century, before the team was even a member of the National League. So yeah, it’s been a good start. Beyond the Hernandez dinger, there were plenty of LA hitters having good nights at the dish: Freddie Freeman had a three-hit night, and Betts and Smith both had two knocks on the night. Shohei watchers will be glad to hear that Ohtani ripped a double and scored a run, but still has not reached the seats in seven games. It’s coming fans, be patient.
The Dodgers pen gave up three runs, and still hasn’t quite hit its stride, but the way the offense is rolling, they don’t need to be perfect when your hitters are putting crooked numbers up on the board in multiple innings.
The Dodgers (5-2) now have guaranteed a winning homestand will try to keep their winning ways going on Tuesday night with a bullpen game against the Giants’ ace Logan Webb. Then, it’s back to the top of the rotation to finish off the series with Tyler Glasnow on Wednesday night. Both games have a 7:10 first pitch.
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