The Los Angeles Dodgers secured an extra-innings 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants thanks to Will Smith’s go-ahead two-run double in the 10th inning. With the win, the Dodgers improved to 2-3 in extra-inning games this season.
After being shut out in Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers drew first blood in this one after Mookie Betts’ solo home run to leadoff the game. It also marked the end of a lengthy 26-game stretch without a homer for Betts.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the start for the Dodgers and managed to work a clean first inning but he got tagged with a three-run homer in the second inning and gave up four runs overall on the night. Curveballs at the top of the zone have served Yamamoto well this season, but Luis Matos was ready and took the first pitch curveball for a ride to give the Giants a 3-1 lead in the second inning.
Jordan Hicks was on the mound for the Giants, and he has been a sneaky good signing for them this season, but has looked a little more vulnerable as of late with a 3.00 ERA in his last seven games.
The Dodgers were able to put plenty of men on base against Hicks thanks to their seven hits, but were unable to do much damage with Betts’ home run and a Shohei Ohtani RBI single in the fifth inning the only two runs they could muster.
Mookie 💪
(🎥: @Dodgers) pic.twitter.com/6FVFUeM4O7— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) May 14, 2024
Lux is heating up!
(🎥: @Dodgers) pic.twitter.com/38hXHCLtyG— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) May 14, 2024
Kiké is clutch.
(🎥: @Dodgers) pic.twitter.com/K0FP8cTnJL— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) May 14, 2024
Will Smith cleaning up.
(🎥: @Dodgers) pic.twitter.com/i1sYYjThW1— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) May 14, 2024
However, by the sixth inning the Dodgers were able to get into the Giants’ bullpen thanks to all the pressure their offense put on Hicks. It immediately paid off as Gavin Lux tied the game at 3-3 with his RBI ground-rule double in the sixth inning.
The Giants regained a 4-3 lead in the bottom half after scoring their fourth and final run of the game thanks to a RBI single from Helios Ramos that ended Yamamoto’s night. Kiké Hernández didn’t let the Giants keep the lead for long as his seventh inning solo home run once again made it a brand new ballgame.
Both teams deployed their high-leverage arms to get the game into extras where Smith delivered his clutch double that gave the Dodgers a 6-4 lead. J.P. Feyereisen came in to shut the door and give the Dodgers the win in game one of the series.
Dodgers continue to add onto franchise record
In addition to the 6-4 victory, the Dodgers also extended their franchise record of allowing 4 or fewer runs to 20 consecutive games.
The streak began on April 21 against the New York Mets, which also coincides with the team’s turnaround, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that isn’t a coincidence.
The last MLB team with a single-season streak this long was the 2017 Cleveland Indians’ streak of 25 games. They also went on 22 game winning streak that season, which was the second-longest winning streak in Major League Baseball history and four games short of tying the Major League record of 26 straight wins held by the 1916 New York Giants.
