The Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday night, as they defeated the Oakland Athletics, 3-1, at Camelback Ranch.
Alex Wood stole the show early, as he tossed five innings of shutout ball, striking out seven in his fourth start of the spring. Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard through six innings, but that changed in the seventh.
With one crack of the bat, Cody Bellinger crushed his third home run of the spring, with his blast to center field giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. After a bit of a slow start, he’s hitting .270/.341/.568 in 13 Cactus League games.
A few batters later, Joc Pederson followed suit as he launched a solo home run of his own to right-center field. The homer was Pederson’s first on the spring, as he had been struggling a bit at the plate.
Then for good measure, in the bottom of the eighth, Trayce Thompson also hit a solo home run for his first of the spring to secure the 3-1 victory. Although the power necessarily hasn’t been there, Thompson has swung the bat well this spring as he is hitting .306/.324/.444 in 15 games.
The Dodgers face a decision with Thompson as he is out of Minor League options, so he must be on the 25-man roster to begin the season or else the Dodgers risk losing him on waivers. It was recently reported that the Dodgers are likely to shop Thompson in trade talks.
While there were plenty of positives to take away from Monday’s win, it may be remembered as the worst game of the spring because All-Star third baseman Justin Turner was hit by a pitch on his left wrist in the first inning.
Turner was immediately removed from the game and sent for X-rays, which revealed a fracture. A timetable is not yet known, but a safe assumption is Turner will miss an extended period of time to begin the season.
Oh, @yungjoc650 knew. #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/z4wvzZrh3F
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 20, 2018