The Los Angeles Dodgers came out of an off day with their magic number to clinch the National League West at two, and they took care of their part with a 7-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.
The game at Dodger Stadium went final shortly after the L.A. Angels defeated the San Diego Padres, amounting to an eighth consecutive NL West title for the Dodgers. They also wrapped up the best record in the NL for a second straight year.
Robbie Grossman’s home run off the foul pole in the first inning gave the A’s an early lead, and they pulled ahead again in the third, but the night otherwise belonged to the Dodgers.
Mookie Betts’ single and stolen base led to Corey Seager tying the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Max Muncy’s two-run homer gave the Dodgers a lead in the third inning and served as a sign of what was to come.
Frankie Montas surrendered two more home runs in the fourth, with Chris Taylor and AJ Pollock each connecting for a solo shot. T.J. McFarland took over in the fifth inning, only to be greeted by Seager clubbing a leadoff home run.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh but only managed to sore one run on Cody Bellinger’s infield single. For Bellinger, it was a fourth time reaching in as many plate appearances.
After Dustin May went five innings, the Dodgers turned to five relief pitchers to finish the game out. Joe Kelly was among them, and he again exclusively threw a curveball to strike out Grossman and end the seventh inning.
The Dodgers bullpen allowed a combined two hits — Victor Gonzalez gave up a single, and Jake McGee a double — over four scoreless innings.
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