Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — TEN. IN. A. ROW. To say that the Los Angeles Dodgers are hot right now would be doing the word “hot” a great disservice. Blazing. Scorching. Blistering. These words come a little closer to describe the Dodgers on their current winning streak. On Thursday night, the streak hit double digits. The game’s hottest team got a decent enough start from Ryan Pepiot, some sparking defense, and three home runs to come from behind for an 8-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night to cap off of perfect 5-0 homestand.
Dodgers strike first in 2nd inning
Ryan Pepiot, subbing for the injured Clayton Kershaw in the rotation, had one task: keep it close enough for the Dodgers to win. And in that regard, he got off to a good start. He gave up a leadoff double in the first inning to Luis Arraez, but stranded him at third. Then, in the second, he gave up a leadoff single, but got the next three outs.
The Dodgers broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the second. Leading off, Max Muncy worked a 3-2 count against Twins starter Sonny Gray. He then fouled off a well-placed curveball before he got a pitch he liked: a sinker that hung up in the zone. Muncy bashed the ball down the right field line for a solo home run to get the Dodgers on the board.
But the Dodgers weren’t done in the inning. Justin Turner continued his hot hitting off the IL with a solid double. However, he was erased when he tried to take third on a ground ball to the left side of the infield. It was a bit of ill-advised baserunning that you don’t usually see out of the veteran Turner, but it left Lux at first with one out.
Lux immediately broke during the next at-bat. He slid in safely, and when catcher Gary Sanchez‘s throw skipped into centerfield, Lux easily jogged to third. He would come in to score on Cody Bellinger‘s sacrifice fly, and the Dodgers were off to a 2-0 lead.
Pepiot gets dinged by gopher balls
Truth be told, Pepiot had a pretty good outing, but there were a couple of pitches that he no doubt would want back. Chief among them was the hanging slider he threw to Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco in the top of the third on a 1-2 count. With two men already on in the inning, the mistake cost Pepiot dearly. Polanco pulled a three-run homer down the right field line and just like that, the Twins were up in the game 3-2.
Then, in the top of the fifth, Pepiot got beat by Gary Sanchez on a center-cut four-seamer for a leadoff home run to put the Twins up by a score of 4-2. After walking the next hitter, Pepiot would record one more out in the inning before being pulled in favor of lefty reliever Alex Vesia. Vesia struggled with his command, and loaded up the bases, but managed to get the Dodgers to the bat rack still in the ballgame.
Dodgers answer right back to tie
Now trailing by two, the Dodgers wasted no time in getting back into the game. In the bottom of the fifth, Mookie Betts started things off with a one-out double. Trea Turner followed that up with one of his patented base hits through the left side of the infield that scored Betts standing up. Turner then swiped his 20th bag of the year to get into scoring position. He came home to score when Will Smith ripped a two-out double into the right centerfield gap. We had played five at the Ravine, but it was a brand new ballgame with a 4-4 tie.
Taylor for the lead, Gallo for the insurance
In the bottom of the sixth, the Dodgers once again got on top, but for good this time. New Twin reliever Michael Fulmer seemed to be having a good inning. He retired the first two hitters he saw and quickly got Chris Taylor into a 0-2 hole. But he then threw Taylor a curveball that caught a bit too much of the plate for an 0-2 pitch. CT3 was able to put a good swing on the ball, and drove it to deep left centerfield for a solo home run. The Dodgers were up 5-4, and they would never look back.
In the next inning, after some terrific relief work from Evan Phillips, the Dodgers were able to tack on three more runs. This time it was new Dodger Joey Gallo who would supply the power off the bench. Pinch hitting for Hanser Alberto with two out and two on, Gallo got ahead of reliever Griffin Jax 2-1 and then just unloaded on a center-cut fastball. The ball flew high into the LA night and easily cleared the fence in left center for an opposite field home run.
It was Gallo’s first home run as a Dodger, and his second straight game with a key extra base hit. It’s a small sample size to be sure, but since joining the team, Gallo is hitting .267 with an OPS of .800. If the team can get that kind of production out of him the rest of the way, they’d be thrilled.
On to Kansas City for the Royals
After Pepiot and Vesia, the Dodgers got good scoreless work out of David Price, Evan Phillips, and Chris Martin. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, it was up to Craig Kimbrel to finish things off. He did, but not before giving up a run on a double and a wild pitch. So, Kimbrel continues to be an area of concern for the ballclub.
The Dodgers have another off day on Thursday, and then will be heading to the Midwest for two series. They look to continue their winning ways against the struggling Royals, and then it’s on to Milwaukee for a three game set with the Brewers, who are in a dogfight with the Cardinals for dominance in the NL Central.
Friday’s opener in KC will feature Tony Gonsolin on the mound, against lefty Daniel Lynch. 5:10 PDT first pitch. Let’s do this, Dodgers!
Cans of Corn…
- After 110 games, the Dodgers are now 77-33, 16 games ahead of the Padres in the NL West.
- The Dodgers got some great infield defense in this game, especially from Trea Turner and Hanser Alberto.
- I was skeptical about the Gallo pickup, but I would love to be proved wrong on this one.
- It’ll be interesting to see who the Dodgers go with the next time Kershaw’s spot comes up in the rotation. Pepiot did okay, but I wonder if they want to give Bobby Miller a shot at it one of these times.
