Despite a bit of an atypical start from Hyun-Jin Ryu and lack of a walk-off win, the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their momentum rolling with a 5-1 victory over the San Diego Padres. After becoming the first team this season to 20, 30, 40 and 50 wins, the Dodgers now are first to 60.
The Dodgers scored their five runs behind combination of power and situational hitting. Max Muncy opened the scoring with a home run down the right-field line to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Muncy’s drive was a bit of an oddity as it reached the loge level.
Dinelson Lamet kept the Padres’ deficit there until the fifth inning, when Matt Beaty’s leadoff single was followed by consecutive walks to load the bases. Lamet later hit Joc Pederson with a pitch, and Alex Verdugo’s sacrifice fly extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0.
The Padres called on southpaw Logan Allen to pitch in the sixth inning, only to allow a leadoff home run to Cody Bellinger. He extended his Dodgers franchise record for most homers before the All-Star break with a third in the past two games.
According to STATS LLC, Bellinger and Willie Mays (31 in 1954) are the only National League players under 25 years old to hit at least 30 home runs before the All-Star Break.
After Ian Kinsler’s throwing error on Kiké Hernandez’s flare single into shallow right field left two runners in scoring position, Chris Taylor lifted a sac fly to center field.
The five runs were more than enough for Ryu and a trio of Dodgers relief pitchers. Although Ryu issued three walks, he held the Padres to just three hits and recorded five strikeouts over six shutout innings.
San Diego put two runners on in each the second and third inning, but otherwise never posed much of a threat. Ryu, who is slated to start for the NL in the All-Star Game, went into the break with a 1.73 ERA.
The Padres scratched across their only run on Eric Hosmer’s broken-bat RBI single off Zac Rosscup in the eighth inning. JT Chargois replaced Rosscup and finished the game by striking out all five batters faced.
The Dodgers had their streak of walk-off wins snapped at five, which was one shy of tying the MLB record set by the 2000 Kansas City Royals.
