Two Homers + Shutout Relief = Dodger Victory

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers didn’t get much offense at the Stadium on Monday night. For much of the evening, they were stymied by a series of Phillies pitchers. They only managed three hits in the entire game. But two of those hits were home runs, a two-run blast from Will Smith and a solo shot from Chris Taylor. And, on a night when the bullpen dominated, that was just enough for a 3-1 win.

Gonsolin gives up one early, but fans five

Tony Gonsolin‘s second start of the year went better than the first, but only slightly. He went 3.2 innings and only gave up one earned run, but he struggled with command throughout his appearance. In the first inning, he walked the lead-off man, and gave up a double off right fielder Zach McKinstry‘s glove to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Goose then gave up a run-scoring single to Bryce Harper, but that was the extent of the damage he would allow on the night.

Gonsolin went 30 pitches in the first, but settled down considerably after that, thanks to some very friendly calls from home plate umpire Mike Estabrook. Even so, he needed David Price to bail him out of another self-induced jam in the fourth. Gonsolin’s line for the night: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K. Still, the problem was finding the strike zone; he needed 81 pitches to get the 11 outs that he got, and walked three Phillies hitters (and it could have easily been a couple more).

Smith and Taylor provide the punch

However, once Price got the Dodgers off the hook, they wasted little time in getting on the board. Though Phillies starter Spencer Howard had been perfect the first time through the batting order, the Dodgers broke through the next time around. In the bottom of the fourth, after a Mookie Betts walk and a couple of outs, catcher Will Smith pasted a 2-1 four-seamer to left center. It landed among the paying customers, and just like that, the Dodgers had flipped the script and were up 2-1.

The home team dialed up another long ball in the fifth to extend the lead. Phillies manager Joe Girardi was pushing his luck a bit by sending Howard out again, and he immediately paid for his decision. Chris Taylor, who is now is sixth place in the All-Star balloting among outfielders, came up to the plate to lead off the inning. He fouled off a few Howard fastballs before finding one that he liked, and then he didn’t miss. He drilled the ball to almost the same spot in left center as the Smith dinger had landed, and pushed the lead to 3-1.

Bullpen terrific in holding the lead

And that was where it stood for the rest of the night. The Dodgers only got one hit after the two home runs, a single from pinch hitter Albert Pujols. However, three runs were plenty the way the Dodgers pen was rolling on Monday night. Six pitchers came on after Gonsolin, and each one did their job. Particularly impressive were Blake Treinen, whose stuff was filthy yet again, and Jimmy Nelson, who had an efficient 1-2-3 eighth inning. In the ninth, Kenley Jansen was called on for the second straight night, and this time there was far less drama. He retired the side in order on just nine pitches for his 16th save of the year.

Full Capacity on Tuesday night

With their sixth win in the last seven games, the Dodgers stay one game behind the division leading Giants, who get the good fortune of facing the hapless D-backs this week. Tomorrow, Julio Urias takes to the bump on a big night for Dodger fans. Finally, after a year of nothing and two months of reduced seating, Dodger Stadium will finally be back to full and unrestricted capacity on Tuesday night. It’s not quite time to burn those masks yet, but we’re getting there.