Dodgers Highlights: Tony Gonsolin Dominates, Will Smith Powers LA to Series Opening Win on Bobblehead Night
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have started to get their ugly June back on track with a series opening win over the Chicago White Sox, 5-0, on Tuesday night.
Tony Gonsolin dominated on the mound while Will Smith and David Peralta hit first inning home runs that proved to be more than enough run support. The Dodgers are now 38-29 on the year, and 21-10 in games played at Dodger Stadium.
Let’s get into the highlights of this one.
The Dodgers jumped out to the quick lead, thanks to a Will Smith two-run home run in his first at-bat on his bobblehead night. It was his 10th home run of the year, and gave the Dodgers an immediate 2-0 lead.
Vote for Charlotte's dad!
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 14, 2023
?: https://t.co/SSqaZ79Scn pic.twitter.com/j4EssXPOyX
Will Smith hits a two-run home run on his bobblehead night to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 14, 2023
The best catcher in baseball does best catcher in baseball things yet again.
Vote him for the All-Star game right now.https://t.co/Wys8vM3PRV
BOBBLEHEAD YEESH! WITH BABY CHAR IN THE BUILDING! https://t.co/eLIpVfSBZ5
— Walker Buehler (@buehlersdayoff) June 14, 2023
It didn’t take long for the Boys in Blue to add on, though. Just three batters later, the red-hot David Peralta was up, and he followed in Smith’s footsteps. He crushed a two-run home run of his own to centerfield, and just like that, the Dodgers had a 4-0 first inning lead.
All aboooard! ? pic.twitter.com/YEbcouF9Qw
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 14, 2023
Will Smith and David Peralta had the exact same exit velocity on their first inning two-run home runs for the Dodgers.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) June 14, 2023
That's cool. pic.twitter.com/fYz5RuluOR
That home run continued Peralta’s dominant last few weeks at the dish.
Since May 24, David Peralta is 17-for-39 at the plate.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 14, 2023
That's good for a slash line of .436/.436/.641 with an OPS of 1.077.
The Dodgers signed him to a one-year, $6.5 million deal right before spring training. What a steal that's turning into.
Then, the story of the next handful of innings was Gonsolin, who dominated the White Sox to the tune of six scoreless innings.
He didn’t allow his first hit until the fourth inning, and ended up allowing just two all game while striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 1.93 on the year, as he continues his second consecutive dominant season for LA.
The Dodgers needed a strong outing from a starting pitcher after Sunday’s bullpen game. Tony Gonsolin delivered. His (likely) final line:
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 14, 2023
6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 9 Whiffs, 90 pitches
His velocity was down but it didn’t matter. His season ERA is down to 1.93 on the year.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers decided to pad Gonsolin’s lead. They quickly loaded the bases with no outs, and Miguel Vargas hit a sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. That ended up being all they got, but again, it was more than enough with the way the pitching was going.
Caleb Ferguson got the seventh, and went 1-2-3 in dominant fashion. That was a great sign.
The Dodgers tried to pad the lead even more in the bottom of the seventh, but Mookie Betts was thrown out at home on what would have been Jonny DeLuca’s first career RBI in a pinch-hit appearance. Oh well.
Evan Phillips pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, which is a great sign for him getting back on track after a couple rough ones as of late.
Then, in the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers went quiet, but of note, J.D. Martinez struck out on a pitch clock violation.
J.D. Martinez just struck out on a pitch clock violation. He's not happy.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) June 14, 2023
Tayler Scott had a weird ninth inning, forcing Brusdar Graterol to come in with runners at the corners and one out. However, Graterol closed the door allowing just one run, and the Dodgers won 5-1.
Up Next
The Dodgers and White Sox play the middle game of the three-game set on Wednesday night. Clayton Kershaw is on the mound for the Dodgers against RHP Mike Clevinger of the White Sox.
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