Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Wow. What a comeback! What a game. Even though the Dodgers ending up losing this first game against the Atlanta Braves by a score of 8-7, there was a lot to feel good about at the end of the night. After falling into a deep hole, the Dodgers could have just rolled up the tent and conceded defeat. But they didn’t. And that was glorious to watch, regardless of the final score.
The hole came courtesy of one Mr. Lance Lynn. Looking much more like the White Sox version of himself, Lynn struggled mightily in this start. Struggled to get swing and miss. Struggled with command. Struggled to put hitters away. Just generally struggled. And the biggest evidence of that struggle was the absolutely disastrous second inning, when Lynn gave up six runs on four hits, two of which were home runs: a solo shot from Austin Riley and a grand slam from MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr.
When Michael Harris II hit another homer in the top of the fifth, the Braves had themselves a 7-1 advantage, and it looked like the headlines on Friday morning would be “Can anyone stop the Braves’ juggernaut?”
However, something happened on the way to that headline. The Dodgers just refused to go quietly in this one. They got up off the mat and bashed their way back in the ballgame. It started in the bottom of the fifth when Mookie Betts blasted an opposite field, three-run home run to cut the Braves’ lead to 7-4. After Braves’ starter Spencer Strider thought he had Betts struck out on a 3-2 check swing (he hadn’t), Betts took a fastball on the black and went the other way with it, just clearing the right field fence and the outstretched glove of Ronald Acuña Jr. It was only the second time all year that Betts has hit a home run to the opposite field, and it absolutely jump started the enthusiasm at the Ravine.
Thus the comeback had begun. However, the Dodgers’ gave up what turned out to be a crucial run in the sixth, when an errant throw from Max Muncy gifted the Dodgers a baserunner. That led to a Michael Harris II RBI single and it was 8-4 Braves, though it would be a few more innings before fans would realize how important that run was.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers kept calling on Dr. Longball to fuel their comeback. This time, it was Michael Busch hitting his first Dodger Stadium dinger to cut the Braves’ advantage to 8-5. Then, after an Amed Rosario strikeout, Mookie Betts was back at it. This time, it was a much more Betts-like blast, a high, majestic drive to the pull side, landing just over the fence in left field. Thus, the inevitable comparisons between Acuña and Betts came into even sharper focus.
“You’re watching the game, you’re trying to win the game, but it’s hard not to watch those two guys go head to head,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the game. “Fans, media, people want to see the best perform. To see what Ronald did and then to see how Mookie answered, it was good to see him respond like that.”
“I’m not playing against Ronald Acuña,” Betts objected. “I’m playing against the Braves. We’re trying to beat the Braves,” he said. “He’s great. Awesome person. Take absolutely nothing away from him. But I’m not playing against him.”
Whatever the current state of the NL MVP race, the Dodgers still had a game to try to win. Max Muncy made up for the run that he gave away with a solo homer in the 8th, but that was as close as the Dodgers could get. They had runners in scoring position in the 8th and the 9th, but just couldn’t get the key hit to push that tying run across. In fact, if you’re looking for a reason that the Dodgers lost this one (other than, you know, Lance Lynn sucking), you don’t have to look much further than the team’s 1-for-9 performance with runners in scoring position.
So with the loss, the season series is now knotted at 3-3. And now it becomes a best two out of three to see who would win a potential tie-breaker should the Braves falter a bit down the stretch. The Dodgers’ get their first shot at redemption on Friday night when they send the hot-and-cold Julio Urias to the mound. Though Julio was not great in his last outing, he has pitched well of late, and he’s sure to be eager to show the world that he is still among the league’s elite. He’ll match up against Southern California native Max Fried, a lefty who’s spent a good deal of the year on the IL. Game time is 7:10. Let’s do this. Protect the Ravine!
