The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in extra innings on Saturday, dropping their first game on the current homestand.
Lance Lynn got the start for the Cardinals, quickly finding himself in a hefty bit of trouble in the top of the first inning against his former team. After three straight singles by Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to open the game, Lynn wound up in a bases-loaded jam.
Lynn’s 2023 season was marred with explosive outings, accounting for his combined 5.73 ERA with the Chicago White Sox and Dodgers. But in a bind on Saturday, Lynn worked his way out of the situation with three strikeouts in a row by adjusting his mindset, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat:
“They’re already loaded, so [expletive] it. Let it rip.”
Sitting down Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández in order, Lynn escaped without a blemish. The 36-year-old then settled in, notching four shutout innings with five strikeouts in total.
His day came to an end early due to the rain delay, but the Dodgers were stymied by Lynn’s aggressive approach, squandering any scoring opportunities they had. Facing many of his former teammates, the question of if some would’ve wanted to step into the box against him might’ve popped up.
“I’m not going to answer that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game when asked if any of his players lobbied to be in the lineup. “Actually I will answer that, none. There’s certainly some familiarity with Lance, and I’m sure he’s going to give it his best go against us.”
Lance Lynn’s stats with Dodgers
Lynn joined the Dodgers at the trade deadline last season as they faced a significant need for starting pitching. They were optimistic over his potential despite a 6.47 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with the White Sox.
Lynn lowered his ERA by nearly two runs with the Dodgers, going 7-2 in 11 outings. His performance wasn’t spectacular, but Lynn’s tenure with the club culminated in a blow-up start in the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending the Dodgers’ season.
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