Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — There is a reason superstars make a lot of money; because they’re really, really good at baseball. And on Thursday night, three of the Dodgers’ brightest lights showed up big time for the home squad. Julio Urias, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman all had terrific nights. And, if you throw in a Max Muncy two-run dinger, you’ve got the recipe for a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a series win going into the final weekend before the All-Star break. We like it like that.
The Dodgers got out of the gate like gangbusters in this one. After Julio Urias pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, Mookie Betts led off the home half with a solid double down the third base line. A couple of pitches later, Freddie Freeman deposited a ball in the visitors’ bullpen and the Dodgers were up 2-0 before most Dodgers’ fans had settled into their seats.
Julio had a bit of bad luck a couple of innings later when David Peralta misplayed a ball hit to left that ended up being a double and opened the door for a two-run inning. Still, after that Urias was nails; giving up no more hits the rest of the way. His final line for the night: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.
“This is Julio,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I think there was a little bit of frustration. I think there was some embarrassment. And he rolled up his sleeves tonight, and he competed like he always does. But I just felt that tonight, he was truly on the attack from pitch one.”
The tie was broken for good in the bottom of the sixth inning. Freddie Freeman, who had a three-hit night, led off the frame with a hustle double to left. He just slid in under the tag, and was camped out at second when Max Muncy unloaded on starter Johan Oviedo. On an 0-1 count, Muncy drilled a four-seamer into the left centerfield stands for his 20th homerun of the year. That put the Dodgers up 4-2. Freddie drove in Mookie for a tack-on run in the seventh, and the pen carried it home the rest of the way, with Nick Robertson, Brusdar Graterol, and Alex Vesia (yes, Alex Vesia) all looking very good to close out the game.
Only two games remain for this hobbled Dodger team before the All-Star break, and believe it or not, there is a not insignificant chance that the Dodgers could end up going into the Mid-Summer Classic in first place. The Mets just completed a three-game sweep of the D-Backs in Phoenix, which pulls the Dodgers to within just 0.5 games of the top spot in the NL West. With all that has gone on in this seemingly snake-bitten year of 2023, to be in this position is nothing short of miraculous.
Let’s do this thing!
