Mookie Betts and Max Muncy combined for three home runs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers snap a three-game losing streak with an emphatic 9-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in the series opener at Oracle Park.
Betts entered the night a career 10-for-23 with two doubles against Logan Webb in the regular season. He quickly added to that long line of success with a leadoff home run.
The leadoff homer was Betts’ 37th of his career, with 17 of them coming as a member of the Dodgers.
Julio Urías kept the 1-0 lead intact by facing the minimum through two scoreless innings. Muncy then provided some breathing room with a three-run homer in the third inning.
Muncy has reached base safely in 27 consecutive games at Oracle Park, which is the third-longest such streak by a visiting player in the stadium’s history. It’s bested only by Freddie Freeman, who went 2-for-5, and has reached safely in 31 consecutive games at Oracle Park, and Wil Myers (28 games).
Muncy’s home run wound up being the difference as Urías surrendered a solo home run to Wilmer Flores in the fourth inning.
That was the lone run Urías allowed over six innings of work. He faced a high pitch count but still managed to provide needed length to take a burden off the bullpen.
Muncy also helped by breaking the game open with a grand slam as part of a five-run seventh inning. That gave Muncy a career-best seven RBI on the night.
The Dodgers’ first run of the flurry scored thanks to James Outman working a walk against left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers, which was cashed in by Betts’ third hit of the game.
Dodgers bullpen bounces back
Although the Dodgers had a comfortable lead, Alex Vesia immediately ran into trouble as the Giants loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh.
Vesia struck out the next two batters faced and Yency Almonte came on to get the Dodgers out of the jam. Almonte pitched into the eighth inning before Andre Jackson recorded the final four outs of the game.
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