After closing out their series against the San Diego Padres strong, the Los Angeles Dodgers hit the road and began a three-game Freeway Series with the L.A. Angels at Angel Stadium on Friday night.
The Dodgers’ bats have begun to break out in recent days, and that continued in the series opener against the Angels as they earned a 7-4 victory to improve to 14-7 and take over sole possession of first place in the National League West.
Justin Turner got the scoring started with an RBI single in the third inning, bringing home Austin Barnes, who had another solid night finishing 2-for-4. Turner reached base three times on the night, going 2-for-3 with a walk and extending his hitting streak to nine games.
The biggest hits of the night came off the bat of the reigning NL MVP, Cody Bellinger. It’s no secret that Bellinger has struggled to begin the season, but he emerged from that Friday night, hitting two home runs to give him four on the year.
The first was a two-run shot in the sixth inning off Angels starter Patrick Sandoval as he pulled a hanging breaking ball to right. Bellinger then went up the middle for his second homer, a two-run shot to center in the top of the eighth that just got past the outstretched glove of Mike Trout.
Kershaw pitches deep into game for first time in 2020
Clayton Kershaw made his third start of the year and was looking to bounce back after a rough outing against the San Francisco Giants. He tossed seven innings of one-run ball while allowing just one hit with six strikeouts and two walks on 91 pitches.
The one hit was a solo home run off the bat of Anthony Rendon, who also worked the two walks, so Kershaw was able to retire every other hitter he faced.
As has become a theme this season, Kershaw’s fastball velocity was up, averaging 92.1 mph and touching 94 mph, not only in the first inning but also in the seventh. That’s certainly a positive for Kershaw and the Dodgers moving forward as they gear up for another postseason run.
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