The Los Angeles Dodgers chased Sandy Alcantara early and defeated the Miami Marlins, 9-6, to extend their winning streak to three games.
Although L.A. managed to keep some of their momentum from sweeping the Seattle Mariners, the offense went quiet after exploding in the second inning. A Chris Taylor leadoff walk opened the floodgates as the Dodgers strung together six straight hits.
After a Gavin Lux double put two runners in scoring position, AJ Pollock hit an RBI single in his first start since last Friday. Austin Barnes then hit an RBI double, Clayton Kershaw drove in a run on a single, Mookie Betts doubled home another and Corey Seager added an RBI base hit before Alcantara could record an out.
Alcantara striking out Justin Turner was followed by more trouble as Max Muncy hit his third home run in as many games. “I think he’s just taken consistently better at-bats, and the results are showing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Muncy before the game.
“He’s a hitter first. The slug certainly has shown itself recently, but I think that’s a byproduct of being a good hitter first.”
Muncy’s current home run streak is the third-best of his career. He had a home run in five straight games from Aug. 15-21, 2019, and a stretch of homering in four in a row from June 8-12, 2018.
The Dodgers saw their 8-0 lead immediately cut into as the Marlins responded with four runs in the third inning. It was punctuated by Adam Duvall’s three-run homer that landed deep into the Dodgers’ bullpen.
Kershaw went six innings and finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts. The five earned runs allowed tied for the most this year.
Miami pushed a run across in the eighth inning on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. The ball did not appear to catch Sandy Leon, but the Dodgers’ challenge was unsuccessful.
Pollock aggravates hamstring
While the Dodgers were breaking the game open, Pollock was checked on after going first to third base on a single. Roberts and a trainer checked on Pollock, who was removed after a short jog down the third-base line.
The Dodgers later announced he was taken out because of a left hamstring strain, the same injury suffered last Friday. Pollock had been limited to pinch-hitting throughout the week but expressed confidence the hamstring fully healed.
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