Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Well, this is all very familiar. After being in hibernation for much of the season, it looks like the monster that is Max Muncy has emerged to reclaim his rightful position as the Slayer of Giants. In another homer battle, the Dodgers, led by two dingers and 3 RBI by Muncy, beat the Giants 6-3 in a game that had all sorts of good signs for the the rest of the year.
Is that Babe Ruth, or Lewis Brinson?
This one didn’t take long to get going. On the very first pitch of the game, Lewis Brinson drilled a 90-mph four-seamer over the fence in centerfield to stake the Giants to a very early 1-0 lead. Anderson settled down considerably after that first pitch; eight pitches later the inning was over. But it was once again the Dodgers playing from behind.
Gallo blast puts Dodgers on top
With usual starter Alex Wood out on the IL, the Giants went with a bullpen game in this one, and the plan worked for about twenty minutes. Opener Mike Brebbia survived a Freddie Freeman double in the first, but the Giants weren’t so lucky in the bottom of the second.
The new pitcher for the Giants was left-hander and notorious helmet-banger Jarlin Garcia. And the Dodgers treated the new pitcher like they had a bit of a score to settle. Max Muncy led off by banging a solid double to right. After a Justin Turner walk put two on with no out, Joey Gallo stepped in with a chance to do damage.
Because of Dave Roberts‘ platoon strategy with Gallo, this was one of just a few AB’s he’s had off a lefty this year. However, Gallo made the most of it. He took a couple of close pitches from Garcia to get ahead 3-1 in the count, and then pounced on the next pitch in the zone. He broke his bat on a four-seamer, but as we know, Joey Gallo is a big boy. Broken bat or no, Gallo muscled the pitch into the right field pavilion for a three-run home run. This is the latest sign of life from Gallo, who went through a nasty stretch that lasted a good couple of weeks. However, in the last three games, he’s got three hits (two for extra bases) and 3 RBI. More of this please.
Max Muncy!
Max Muncy was a man on a mission on Tuesday night. After drilling the double in the second, he came up in the third with a man on, looking to do more damage. And damage he did. Jarlin Garcia must not have read the scouting report on Muncy, as he started off the Dodgers’ slugger with some high cheese. Muncy, one of the best dead red hitters in baseball, went up in the zone to get it, and he didn’t miss. He drilled the ball to deep right and deposited it among the spectators for a two-run shot. Thanks to Gallo and Muncy, the Dodgers were now up by a comfortable 5-1 margin.
Crawford keeps it fair to tighten the game
However, it was a hot night at the Ravine on Tuesday, and once again balls were flying. Anderson couldn’t quite complete his outing in this one without the Giants going deep one last time. In the 6th inning, after the Dodgers failed to turn a double play, Brandon Crawford stepped into the box. He drilled an Anderson pitch to right that just went foul before making an adjustment and hitting another one just as long, but fair. It landed just inside the foul pole for a two-run shot to make the score 5-3.
Other than the two long balls (perhaps aided by the hot night), Anderson was solid in this one. He went seven full innings, and while he didn’t have his best stuff, he battled his way to a quality start. His line for the night: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. A couple more starts like this and it will be hard to say no to including him in the playoff rotation.
Muncy’s second jack adds insurance
With the Dodgers’ lead cut to 5-3, it was a bit too close for comfort. But, no problem in this one. Max Muncy will just hit another bomb. This time around, he went oppo taco off righty Dominic Leone for a solo shot to give the Dodgers a three-run cushion. It was the first time in over a year that the Funky Muncy has had a two-homer night, and it continues to add to his late-season surge that could end up with the Dodgers being a very dangerous team in the postseason. In his last 30 games, Max has nine home runs and an OPS of .920.
After the Muncy homer, neither team scored or even threatened. Chris Martin and Craig Kimbrel both put up zeroes for the home team to win the ball game. This makes the seventh straight scoreless outing for Kimbrel. Let it go, indeed.
Kersh pitches matinee to wrap up series
The series (and the homestand) wraps up on Thursday afternoon with rubber match in a rare mid-week day game. And, it might be a good one to play hooky on. It will mark the second start of Clayton Kershaw since returning from the IL last week in New York. Kersh had a very rocky first inning, but was perfect for four after that, so he’ll be looking to build on that and probably stretch it out a bit more than the five innings he went in Queens. He’ll match up against righty Alex Cobb, who’s already had two starts against the Dodgers this season. He’s done okay (7 ER over 11.1 innings), but has been pitching much better lately, so we’ll see what the Dodgers’ lefty lineup can muster against him.
Cans of Corn…
- This was Muncy’s 19th and 20th career homers against the Giants.
- Justin Turner now has a 15-game hitting streak.
- More strikeouts for Taylor. Eek.
- Julio will be pitching for Team Mexico in the WBC.
- Hanser Alberto read to kids on Tuesday to kick off National Read a Book Day.
- Former Olympian Eddy Alvarez has been officially released by the team.
- In addition to his homer, Gallo made a great catch in left to save a run.
- The luxury of this big division lead is you can keep throwing things against the wall (hitters, relievers) and see what might stick before October. It’s a luxury few teams have.
