After splitting the first two games of the series, the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a big 5-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night to take the three-game set at Dodger Stadium.
As has been the case a lot recently, the Dodgers got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning. Mookie Betts and Justin Turner both singled, and then Will Smith connected on a base hit of his own to drive home the run.
The Dodgers then doubled they lead to 2-0 on a solo home run to center field off the bat of Corey Seager, who has been on fire as of late. Seager is up to 15 home runs on the season and also hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to cap off his two-RBI night.
That sixth inning was the biggest of the night as the Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs on doubles by Smith and Cody Bellinger, and a walk from AJ Pollock. They scored three runs, with the first coming on a single by Kiké Hernandez and the second on a walk by Chris Taylor.
Buehler looks strong and healthy in return to mound
Getting the start on the mound for the Dodgers was Walker Buehler, who was pitching in a big-league game for the first time since Sept. 8 due to blister issues.
He was limited to four innings and 65 pitches but looked great, allowing just one hit and no runs with six strikeouts and no walks.
The Dodgers’ pitching staff as a whole was great on the night as they limited Oakland to three hits and one run on a home run by Sean Murphy. They also struck out 16 total batters in the dominant performance to earn a series win over one of the American League’s best teams.
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