Mookie Betts remained red-hot, Michael Busch hit his first career home run and Ryan Pepiot again excelled in a bulk role to help the Los Angeles Dodgers complete a doubleheader sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 9-3 win in the series finale at Progressive Field.
Thursday afternoon’s game was the only of the three to be completed without a rain delay. Dodgers broadcaster Stephen Nelson relayed on SportsNet LA that Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti apologized to general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts for how the grounds crew exercised their power during the series.
After Caleb Ferguson stranded two runners in another instance of filling an opener role, Ryan Yarbrough allowed two runs in the second inning.
The Dodgers’ deficit was short-lived as Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games by cashing in Kiké Hernández’s leadoff double in the third with an RBI single. Betts finished 2-for-3 with a walk prior to being removed in the bottom of the sixth for rest purposes.
Betts went 9-for-11 with two doubles and three RBI over the three-game series. Included in that was tying a career high with five hits in the first game of the doubleheader.
In the fourth inning, Busch provided the Dodgers with a decided lead on his home run to straightaway center field. The Dodgers then broke the game open with four runs in the fifth inning.
Their scoring started when Ramón Laureano dropped a fly ball to shallow center field with the bases loaded. James Outman brought in two more on a base hit and Busch added a sacrifice fly.
Hernández’s second double of the game, both of which came against right-handed pitching, extended the Dodgers’ lead to 8-2 in the seventh inning. Hernández provided more separation and punctuated his 32nd birthday with a solo home run in the ninth inning.
Dodgers pitching script
With Pepiot added as the 27th player permitted for a doubleheader, the expectation was he would follow Ferguson. However, the Dodgers first went to Yarbrough for three innings. Pepiot then was next to appear out of the bullpen and he turned in four innings with one run allowed on a homer.
When the Dodgers last used the same three pitchers in the first game of a doubleheader against the Miami Marlins, the order was Ferguson, Pepiot and Yarbrough combining for eight innings.
Pepiot fell just shy of converting only the second five-inning save in Dodgers franchise history. The only one belongs to Charlie Hough, who achieved the feat in 1970.
Since saves became an official MLB statistic in 1969, there have been just 12 of at least five innings.
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