The Los Angeles Dodgers broke out the bats to defeat the Seattle Mariners, 11-9, in Monday’s opener at Dodger Stadium. The club twice came from behind to ensure their winning streak was extended to a season-high six games.
Trailing 2-1 after one inning, the Dodgers put up a five-spot in the bottom of the second, propelled by Corey Seager’s two-out, three-run home run.
The Mariners would answer back in the top of the third with five runs of their own, as Seager’s brother, Kyle, joined the home run parade.
It wasn’t until the seventh in which the Dodgers began their comeback effort. Timely hitting and plate discipline amounted to another five-spot, putting the club back ahead, 11-8.
Such continued a season-long trend for the Dodgers, who have outscored their opponents, 45-12, from the seventh inning on. “We’re relentless. We’ve always been that way, we’ve never given at-bats away, always passed the baton, next man mentality,” Seager said of the offense.
“You can’t give them away, even when they’re late. It’s almost more important to not give them away when they’re late. That’s a big thing we pride ourselves on. We’ve done that for a really long time now.”
Seager himself has been a big part of the Dodgers’ success at the plate this season. He entered Tuesday batting .306/.359/.611 with four doubles, six home runs and 16 RBI in 78 plate appearances (17 games).
With so much talent from top to bottom, it’s no surprise Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes the club could win any close game. “I do, and I think most importantly the guys in that room back there feel that way,” he said.
“I just think they feed off one another when they can continue to grind, swing at good pitches and continue to put pressure on that reliever coming out of the ‘pen, good things are going to happen.”
Roberts: Late-inning success a holdover from 2019 season
That the Dodgers consistently find ways to win in the later frames isn’t a new development. It has been a trademark of the club in recent seasons. “I think that’s fair. You look at the clubhouse, it’s a lot of the same cast of characters,” Roberts said.
“The history, having done that many times over, and there’s a lot of guys in the clubhouse that have won games and had big at-bats in big spots, so I think that’s certainly part of it.
“I like to think the focus isn’t more dialed in late in games, but sometimes late in the games you turn it up just a tick more. Our guys do a good job at the end of a game.”
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