Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — It’s getting Better. But to quote the Beatles, it couldn’t get no worse. After spending the better part of week in utter futility at the plate, the Dodger hitters finally came alive on Saturday in a late afternoon game against the Cleveland Guardians. After Cleveland scratched across an unearned run in the top of the first, the Dodgers reeled off seven straight runs, and got a great outing out of Julio Urias en route to an easy 7-1 victory.
Urias shaky in the first, but lights out thereafter
Like Clayton Kershaw on Friday night, Julio Urias had trouble zeroing in on the strike zone in the early going. He walked two Cleveland hitters in the top of the first, and when Max Muncy let a two-out grounder split the wickets, the Guardians were quickly up 1-0.
However, that was the extent of the scoring against the Dodger lefty. Urias just kept getting better as the game progressed. It was a fairly low stress outing for El Culichi, and if the game had been a little tighter he probably would have been able to finish seven innings in this one. As it was, he was terrific. His final line for the day, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K.
Finally, Julio gets some runs (thanks, Trea!)
Urias has been a hard luck pitcher all season. Unlike 2021, when the Dodgers gave him runs in the bucketloads, in 2022, Julio has found himself on the losing end of a bunch of low scoring games. Not so on Saturday. Austin Barnes started off the scoring with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 2nd inning, but it was Trea Turner‘s two-run shot in the same frame that put the Dodgers ahead for good.
Dodgers add on throughout the game
The Dodgers kept up the attack in the third inning when they got an RBI double from Justin Turner to the gap in left center, and scorching triple down the line from Gavin Lux to bring Turner home.
They also got a little help from the Guardians. In the 6th, Justin Turner walked to drive in a run for the second straight night. Then, in the 7th, the Dodgers tacked on one more when an infield throwing error scored Gavin Lux from all the way from second. That made the Dodgers’ advantage 7-1 and there it stayed the rest of the evening.
Not all good news
Though putting a seven-spot on the scoreboard is a good thing, the day was not without a few things that still need to be ironed out. Truth is, the Dodgers left a lot of meat on the bone in this one. They had baserunners in multiple innings that they just couldn’t cash in, and clutch hitting continues to be an issue for this lineup. Today, the did okay in that department. Both Trea’s homer and Lux’s triple were with RISP. However, that was about it. On the day, they were 2-for-14 in those clutch situations, and left eleven runners stranded. Still worrisome, regardless of the W.
Homestand wraps up on Sunday
This has been one of the shorter homestands of the year, just five games. It wraps up with a return of Andrew Heaney to the mound on Sunday. He locks horns with former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber in the finale of the series. It’s a Sunday matinee with a 1:10 start time, so plan your Father’s Day barbecues accordingly.
Cans of Corn…
- Freddie went 3-for-5 in this one. Signs of life.
- Cody is having a nice series as well. He got two more knocks today, after his home run in Friday’s game.
- Bullpen had a solid three innings of work from Price, Bickford, and Moronta.
- If you have a chance, check out the Dodgers’ social media page for the the full Sandy Koufax ceremony that happened before the game.
- That Sandy statue is sweet.
- Looks like Mookie is headed to the IL. Ugh.
