The Los Angeles Dodgers were on their way to another loss behind quiet offense but were saved by AJ Pollock in the seventh inning with a three-run home run that propelled them to a 6-2 victory against the San Francisco Giants.
Mookie Betts provided insurance with a three-run blast in the eighth, giving the Dodgers a bit of insurance en route to securing the series win.
Walker Buehler turned in his best start of the season but being effectively wild was nearly enough for the Giants to capitalize. Heading into the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted that Buehler at times comes out of his delivery and losses command.
He hoped the right-hander would be in better rhythm in his third start, which wound up being a mixed bag of results.
Buehler started the game with a four-pitch walk and he put the leadoff man aboard in four of six innings, and he also hit a batter. He managed to wiggle out of that traffic and had a no-hitter through four innings.
Even after starting the fifth with a walk and putting Austin Slater on by hitting him, Buehler nearly kept the game locked in a scoreless tie. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, but he bounced back with a strikeout.
Buehler then had Mike Yastrzemski down to two strikes, only to leave a breaking ball enough over the plate that the young Giants’ center fielder was able to go up the middle with for a two-run single. The lone hit was enough for San Francisco as Kevin Gausman, who had extra zip on his fastball.
When the Dodgers faced Gausman out of the bullpen during the Opening Series, they scored three runs (two earned) on six hits in his four innings of work. He kept them in check Sunday, allowing just three hits and collecting six strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Gausman was removed after Cody Bellinger’s base hit with one out in the seventh. Justin Turner promptly greeted Tyler Rogers with a single of his own, setting the table for Pollock.
Betts’ three-run homer in the eighth inning blew the game open for Kenley Jansen.
Seager on the mend
Corey Seager missed a second consecutive game since being removed because of lower back discomfort. “It’s kind of the same progression. Treatment, no baseball activity, he feels a little bit better than two nights ago, which is a good thing,” Roberts said before Sunday’s game.
“It’s going to be a day-to-day thing. We’re not considering the IL right now. We want to give it a few days and kind of reassess”
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