Mookie Betts got to experience a normal-sized crowd at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time and he delivered in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers extended their winning streak to three games and kept pace with the San Francisco Giants.
They gave fans early reason to cheer on Reopening Day as singles by Gavin Lux and Justin Turner put runners on the corners with one out, which Will Smith followed by beating out a would-be inning-ending double play to drive a run in.
However, the Dodgers’ 1-0 lead was erased in the second inning when Andrew McCutchen ambushed the first pitch he saw from Julio Urias for a home run that traveled halfway up the pavilion in left field.
Urias and Zach Eflin kept the game tied until the fourth inning, when Zach McKinstry’s double to the right-center field gap scored Chris Taylor from first base. Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel pressed the issue with an aggressive send, but it was rendered somewhat moot as Urias helped his cause with a ground-rule RBI double.
That gave Urias a sixth consecutive start in which he collected a hit or RBI. It also marked a fifth consecutive game with an RBI, which tied with Don Drysdale (1958) for the longest streak by a Dodgers pitcher.
While Taylor’s legs helped the Dodgers in taking a lead, his usually-steady defense cost them in the fifth inning. Taylor fielded a grounder and realized he didn’t have time to reach second base, which led to a hurried and wide throw to first base.
A sacrifice bunt advanced both runners and Matt Beaty then booted a single into left field, allowing two runs to score and the Phillies to again pull even.
Betts pushed the Dodgers back ahead with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh, sending the capacity crowd at Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. The homer was Betts’ eighth of the season but first ever with the Dodgers in front of a full crowd at home.
Phil Bickford nearly coughed up the lead as he started the eighth inning with back-to-back walks before responding with a pair of strikeouts en route to escaping the jam. Betts provided insurance with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, and Blake Treinen entered in the ninth to convert the save opportunity.
Kenley Jansen was unavailable after pitching back-to-back games, though it was a third consecutive day pitching for Treinen.
Dodgers place Bellinger on IL
Despite initial optimism that Cody Bellinger would soon return from left hamstring tightness, he was placed on the 10-day injured list minutes before first pitch Tuesday. Bellinger’s IL stint is retroactive to Saturday.
The Dodgers recalled Mitch White from Triple-A Oklahoma City, but he did not appear in the win.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
