Dodgers come home in style with home run party in rout of Texas

LOS ANGELES – Though it hasn’t been quite as true this season, the Dodgers love playing at Dodger Stadium. Like, a lot. On Friday night, the Dodgers started off their latest homestand with a bang, scoring six in the bottom of the first, and they didn’t let up the rest of the game. They absolutely pummeled the ball, hitting a season-high five home runs before the night was over. Behind a strong bounce-back start from Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers cruised to an easy 12-1 victory.

Dodgers score early and often

After Kershaw got a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Dodgers hitters went right to work. Mookie Betts reached on an error to lead off the game, but after that Rangers starter Mike Foltynewicz was treated to a good ol’ fashioned a**-whuppin’. Max Muncy and Justin Turner decided to start off the night by going back-to-back with two no-doubters. Nine pitches into the inning, and the Dodgers were up 3-0.

Lux goes deep to drive in three

The Dodgers were just getting started. Gavin Lux, who came into the game scuffling a bit lately, drilled a three-run shot to dead center, burying a Foltynewicz breaking ball five rows back in the outfield seats. After hitting .286 in May, Lux’s batting average had been on a downward trajectory most of this month, and he came into the game not having hit a home run since his two-homer game on May 31. Lux followed up his homer in the first with a RBI double in the third. His 2-for-4 performance with 4 RBI on Friday was a very hopeful sign for things to come later this summer.

By the end of the fourth inning, the Dodgers already had a dozen hits and ten runs. In addition to Lux’s run-scoring hit, Clayton Kershaw joined the fun in the third with an RBI single to send Foltynewicz mercifully to the showers with the Dodgers now up 8-0.

Pujols does it again

But Rangers reliever Hyeon-Jong Yang didn’t fare much better. He got out of Foltynewicz’s mess in the third, but in the next inning, Dr. Longball came calling again for the Dodgers. First, Albert Pujols blasted a Yang changeup over the fence in left, which was quickly followed by a Will Smith bomb down the left-field line. Pujols, who came into the lineup after Max Muncy left with some right side tightness after that home run swing, continues to deliver for the Dodgers. The home run, which was absolutely pulverized by the Machine, was Pujols’s fifth in Dodger Blue. The veteran slugger is now hitting at a .273 pace since moving north from Orange County.

Lots of other good stuff happened after that, but I don’t want this post to go on too long. Suffice it to say, it was a dominant offensive performance. Hitting stars for the night were Lux (2-for-4, 4 RBI), Pujols (2-for-3, HR), Bellinger 2-for-3 1 RBI), and believe it or not Kershaw (2-for-3, 1 RB). In all, the Dodgers lineup pounded Ranger pitching for 16 hits and only struck out five times.

The only sour notes on the evening were Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger, who both had to be pulled from the game due to potential injuries. We’ll have to keep an eye on that the rest of the homestand. “That’s part of it,” Manager Dave Roberts said of the injuries. “Right now, I’m going to kind of hold out hope that it’ll be short term, if any loss of time for both guys.”

Kershaw cruises through six for 8th W

And, as for Clayton Kershaw, he surrendered only one unearned run through six innings of work. And, for the first time in his career, he recorded a rare four-strikeout inning, when he had to make up for a passed ball on a strikeout to Adolis Garcia in the fourth. After a couple of shaky outings, Clayton’s line for the night was more in line with what Dodgers fans are used to: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K.

Jimmy Nelson and Mitch White cleaned up the last three innings on the mound. The Dodgers have now won four in a row, and look to keep it going on Saturday night with Trevor Bauer on the mound. No doubt, with times being what they are, there will be someone keeping a careful eye on spin rates all evening. And we all know how exciting that can be! 7:10 start time.