Mookie Betts hit his fourth home run in the past three games to contribute in the Los Angeles Dodgers bouncing back from a loss by cruising to an 8-1 win over the Miami Marlins.
Betts’ 36th career leadoff homer provided the Dodgers with an early lead that they built on throughout the day against Edward Cabrera. That also tied him with Shin-Soo Choo for 11th-most leadoff home runs in MLB history. Betts finished the day 3-for-5 and a triple shy of the cycle.
Justin Turner added an RBI single in the first inning that extended his hitting streak to eight games, and Trayce Thompson continued his torrid hitting against right-handed pitching with a home run in the second. Cabrera managed to then settle in before running into more trouble in the sixth inning.
A leadoff single and back-to-back walks with two outs loaded the bases, prompting the Marlins to turn to their bullpen. Austin Barnes greeted Tommy Nance with a two-run single, and Betts’ base hit brought another run in to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 6-1.
Turner added an RBI double in the ninth inning and another run scored when Gavin Lux grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. Betts, Turner and Barnes tied for the game lead with two RBI each.
The initial run support was more than enough for Julio Urías, who didn’t allow a hit until Brian Anderson’s leadoff home run in the fourth inning.
Urías wasn’t overly efficient and lacked some command as he walked four batters over six innings. But the homer was the Marlins’ only hit off Urías, and he finished with seven strikeouts. The southpaw lowered his season ERA to 2.32 with the outing and has completed at least six innings in eight of his past 10 starts.
Betts approach Dodgers franchise history
Betts’ seven leadoff home runs this season is tied with Davey Lopes for third-most in Dodgers franchise history. Joc Pederson broke Lopes’ record with eight leadoff homers in 2018, then surpassed that mark by slugging nine in 2019.
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