The Los Angeles Dodgers blew three separate leads and Tarik Skubal had his worst start with the team, but the end result was another comfortable win over the San Francisco Giants.
Mookie Betts once again was a catalyst from the leadoff spot, and he received help from Will Smith as they combined for seven hits and four RBI in the Dodgers’ win.
Next for the Dodgers is an opportunity to sweep the Giants heading into an off day before their final home series of the regular season begins.
Dodgers 10, Giants 4: key takeaways
Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts
Coming off a multi-homer night, Betts went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. He reached base safely in all five plate appearances.
Betts’ double in the first inning led to the Dodgers jumping out to an early lead, and he then extended it to 2-0 with an RBI single in the second inning.
Betts continued to swing a hot bat as his RBI double in the fourth inning put the Dodgers up 4-3. He then hit a leadoff double in the sixth to help spark the Dodgers’ second three-run inning of the night to break the game open.
Despite all of his recent success, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he hasn’t given much thought to keeping Betts in the leadoff spot once Shohei Ohtani returns from the 15-day injured list.
Will Smith power swing
Smith’s first contribution was a leadoff home run in the bottom of the third inning that broke a 2-2 tie. The homer was Smith’s second in as many games.
He then led off the fifth with a single, and the Dodgers went on to score three runs.
Tarik Skubal’s struggles
Skubal stranded baserunners in the first and second innings before running into some trouble in the third. Victor Bericoto’s two-run homer tied the game, and the Giants started the fourth inning with back-to-back singles. However, they only scored one run in that instance due to merely relying on two sacrifice bunts in a row.
Bericoto made hard contact off Skubal again in the fifth inning, with his leadoff double setting the table for Jung Hoo Lee’s extra-base hit.
The four earned runs Skubal allowed marked his most in nine starts for the Dodgers. The five innings pitched matched his shortest outing since being traded to the team.
Magic number update
With their win, the Dodgers magic number to clinch at least the No. 2 seed in the National League is now down to four. They must finish with a better record than the Atlanta Braves due to not holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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