The Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of a favorable hitting environment in Sacramento, beating the A’s on Tuesday, 9-3.
Starter Eric Lauer got into some early trouble, allowing three runs in the second inning, but did what he’s done best and bounced back with a strong performance afterwards. The left-hander threw six innings and struck out two, allowing nine hits and one walk.
The Dodgers also got started in the second inning, when three consecutive singles brought home the first run of the game for LA. Dalton Rushing came through for the Dodgers later in the inning, adding a run with a single of his own to make the score 2-0 in the visitors’ favor.
The A’s quickly struck back, though, as a leadoff home run from Colby Thomas in the bottom of the second inning got their offense going. They strung together three consecutive singles of their own afterwards to drive in another run, and an RBI groundout scored the third run of the inning for the A’s.
Muncy came through for the Dodgers once more in the top of the fourth to level the game for the Dodgers, hitting his 16th homer of the season and his first in 72 at-bats. The third baseman’s homer also marked the first time A’s starter Gage Jump had given up a round-tripper all season.
Andy Pages came through later in the inning, hitting a two-run shot to give the Dodgers a 5-3 lead. Pages also broke a lengthy home run drought, hitting one over the fence for the first time in 17 games.
After a quiet five innings from reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ leadoff man finally made some noice in the top of the sixth inning. Miguel Rojas and Rushing both reached base to start the inning, and Ohtani rocketed a 432-foot home run well onto the berm behind the bullpens in right field.
The Dodgers’ final run of the game crossed the palate in the top of the eighth, when Freddie Freeman singled to left field to score Rushing for his second run of the game.
The A’s started a rally in the bottom of the ninth, with debutant Joshua Kuroda-Grauer making it to second with no outs on a close play at second, followed by a single and a passed ball to score him. They had two runners in scoring position with two outs, but pinch-hitter Joey Meneses couldn’t keep the rally going for the hosts as Jack Dreyer sent him down on strikes.
LA will look to carry the momentum from a strong performance into the next game of the series, which begins Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. PT.
How did you feel about the Dodgers’ performance tonight?
