Tony Gonsolin turned in another strong start, Justin Turner continued to swing a hot bat, and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to four games by defeating the Chicago Cubs, 5-3.
Mookie Betts opened the scoring with his 33rd career leadoff home run, of which four have come this season. Gavin Lux connected for a two-run homer in the second inning to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0.
Turner then did his part to pad the advantage with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Turner entered the night on a five-game hitting streak and batting .542 with three home runs in his last seven.
He recently attributed the improved results and power surge to making a key adjustment while working with Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc.
Three innings after being hit by a pitch in his left hand, Betts drove a solo shot to center field for his 22nd career multi-home run game. That also gave Betts 20 home runs on the season.
The run support was enough for Gonsolin, who kept the Cubs off the board until Christopher Morel’s two-run home run with two outs in the fifth inning. Gonsolin proceeded to retire the next seven batters faced to complete seven innings.
He improved to 11-0 on the season, becoming the first Dodgers pitcher to start the season with such a record since Alex Wood in 2017.
Graterol next Dodgers injury?
Gonsolin gave way to Brusdar Graterol, who only threw four pitches and retired one batter prior to being removed due to injury. Graterol suggested there was discomfort in his ribcage area prior to walking off the field with Dodgers trainer Nate Lucero.
The team later announced Graterol exited due to right side soreness.
Phil Bickford took over to finish the eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel allowed one run and was removed after throwing a season-high 31 pitches. Alex Vesia inherited runners at the corners but struck out the first batter faced to wrap up the Dodgers’ win.
Are you following Dodger Blue on Instagram? It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
