Dustin May turned in another stellar start and the Los Angeles Dodgers continued to excel with two outs as they spoiled the Arizona Diamondbacks’ home opener with a 5-2 win.
The Dodgers previously won the first game of the season at Chase Field in 2003, but lost in 2008.
Chris Taylor helped them take an early lead on his RBI single against Merrill Kelly. The hit was only Taylor’s second of the season, both of which have come in the past three games.
The table had been set by Max Muncy’s leadoff walk in the second inning and James Outman’s single.
After Freddie Freeman’s double and a Will Smith walk, Muncy grounded into a would-be inning-ending double play but a throwing error prevented the Diamondbacks from completing it and allowed a run to score. J.D. Martinez extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0 with an RBI double, but was thrown out at third base for the second time this season.
Smith’s double and a Freeman walk put two on in the sixth inning, and it was eventually cashed in by James Outman on an RBI single with two outs. Freeman then became the ninth Dodgers player with a home run this season as he drove an elevated fastball the other way in the seventh inning, also with two outs.
The run support was more than enough for May, who got through six innings in a second consecutive start against the Diamondbacks. He gave up a two-out single to Jake McCarthy in the second inning but then held the Diamondbacks without a hit until Josh Rojas’ RBI double in the sixth.
That was the lone run May allowed on two hits and one walk. He finished with five strikeouts and made it the sixth time in seven games this season that a Dodgers starting pitcher has logged at least six innings. The only exception is Michael Grove, who pitched through illness in his 2023 debut.
Alex Vesia allowed two extra-base hits and a runner to score on a passed ball in the seventh inning. He was replaced after facing just three batters, and Yency Almonte got the Dodgers out of further trouble. Though, he nearly surrendered a game-tying, three-run home run prior to ending the inning.
Phil Bickford stranded a leadoff double to get through the heart of the Diamondbacks’ order in the eighth, and Evan Phillips converted his second save of the year.
Dodgers hitting with two outs
The Dodgers went into the four-game series opener batting .268/.388/.537 with three home runs, 18 RBI, a .398 wOBA and 153 wRC+ with two outs and at least one runner on base. That ranked tied for first in RBI, fourth in wOBA, and fifth in both OPS (924) and wRC+.
Those statistics increased as the Dodgers scored four of their five runs with two outs.
David Peralta went 0-for-4 with one strikeout in his first career game as an opponent at Chase Field.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
