The Los Angeles Dodgers needed only six outs to complete an 8-1 win over the Atlanta Braves when their lead began to slip away.
Mitch White’s second inning of work started with a leadoff single followed by a walk. Ozzie Albies it a two-run double with one out, and that prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to turn to Joe Kelly.
Austin Riley’s base hit put runners at the corners, but Kelly followed that by striking out pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval. He then appeared to get the Dodgers out of the inning with an 8-3 lead, only for a routine fly ball to shallow left field to drop because Gavin Lux collided with AJ Pollock.
Ehire Adrianza was initially credited with a two-run double but the official scorer later changed the ruling to an error on Lux.
“He didn’t hear me, I didn’t hear him,” Lux explained after the Dodgers’ 9-5 win. “We’re both coming from pretty far away. Just didn’t hear each other. With fans back in the stands I’ve probably got to be louder calling it. Just miscommunication.”
The Braves had an announced attendance of 40,154 at Truist Park in the rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series matchup. It was the largest crowd the Dodgers have played in front of this season, but not the loudest in Lux’s estimation.
“Houston by far,” he said.
The two-game series with the Astros from May 25-26 marked the first time since 2019 the Dodgers took the field at a stadium opened to full capacity. Minute Maid Park drew 34,443 and 30,939, respectively, during the series.
Lux credits potent Dodgers lineup/h2>
Fortunately for the Dodgers, their eight-run fifth inning held up and in essence mitigated Lux’s error. It was a second consecutive game the Dodgers scored at least that many runs in one inning.
“We have an explosive offense and I feel like we can put up five, six, seven, eight runs kind of whenever,” Lux said. “We have a lot of really good hitters, a lot of really good players, that when we string together at-bats like that it’s pretty fun to be a part of.
“That inning was huge. It was the difference-maker in the game.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
