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Dodgers get clutch hitting, strong Dustin May outing to beat Arizona
PHOENIX — The Dodgers are developing an important skill early on this season: Scoring runs with two outs.
In a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, all of the Dodgers’ runs came in such situations, giving the team just enough breathing room to survive some late-game scrambling in the bullpen.
Chris Taylor opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second. The Dodgers extended their lead in the third on an Arizona error and a J.D. Martinez double.
James Outman added a two-out single of his own in the sixth, part of a two-hit performance that extended his season-opening on-base streak to six games.
Then Freddie Freeman hit his first home run of the season in the seventh, opening up a 5-1 lead after Dustin May’s six-inning, one-run gem.
“I think it’s just a bunch of grinders,” Freeman said, with the Dodgers’ 23 two-out runs leading the majors through the first week of the season. “Guys who grind out at-bats, don’t take pitches off.”
The end of the game, however, became something of a grind, as well, after manager Dave Roberts got word earlier in the night right-hander Brusdar Graterol’s back had tightened up on him.
With Graterol down, the seventh inning went to Alex Vesia and Yency Almonte. Vesia gave up one run, cutting the lead to three. Then Almonte almost yielded a tying home run to Josh Rojas, watching his fly ball sail just foul before finally ending the inning.
Because the Dodgers wanted to save their best reliever, Evan Phillips, for the ninth, Phil Bickford was summoned to face the heart of Arizona’s order in the eighth. He gave up a leadoff double and threw a wild pitch, but settled down from there, showing increased fastball velocity of 96-97 mph to escape the inning and effectively end the game.
“That’s as good of an outing as I’ve seen from Phil in quite some time,” Roberts said. “For me, Dustin and Phil were the two stars of the night.”
And when coupled with their two-out hitting, it lifted the team to a third straight win.
Injury updates
Miguel Vargas (thumb) has been swinging and throwing with only limited soreness, and is on track to be back in the lineup as soon as Friday. Miguel Rojas (groin) isn’t far behind, although Roberts acknowledged the Dodgers’ lack of shortstop depth makes his situation “a little more tricky” as they try to be cautious with his recovery.
Dodgers, Diamondbacks match runs in the seventh
The Dodgers added an insurance run in the seventh. With a left-hander on the mound, Trayce Thompson hit for Jason Heyward and grounded to short. Mookie Betts struck out. Freddie Freeman hit a two-strike pitch over the fence in left. Right-hander Kevin Ginkel came in to pitch. Will Smith lined to right.
Alex Vesia came in to pitch for the Dodgers. The line on May: Six innings, two hits, one run, two walks, five strikeouts. 83 pitches, 58 for strikes.
Vesia gave up a one-out triple to Jake McCarthy, who scored on a wild pitch. Gabriel Moreno doubled. Yency Almonte replace Vesia. Kyle Lewis grounded to third, Montero to third. Geraldo Perdomo walked. Josh Rojas flied to center.
Score after seven: Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 2
Dodgers lead 4-1 after six
Will Smith led off the top of the sixth with a double and stayed there as Max Muncy struck out swinging. J.D. Martinez walked. David Peralta grounded to second, forcing Martinez at second. Runners on the corners, two out. James Outman singled to right, scoring Smith, Peralta to third. Kyle Nelson replaced Merrill Kelly on the mound. Chris Taylor flied to center. It’s 4-0 Dodgers.
The Diamondbacks got on the board in the bottom half. Geraldo Perdomo walked. Josh Rojas doubled to right, scoring Perdomo. Ketel Marte struck out looking. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. popped to first. Christian Walker grounded to short.
Score after six: Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 1
Dodgers extend lead in top of third
The Dodgers got some help to extend their lead in the third. Mookie Betts flied to center to start things off. Freddie Freeman singled to right, and took second when right fielder Jake McCarthy misplayed the ball. Single and error. Will Smith walked. Max Muncy grounded to first, forcing Smith at second, but the return throw to first was wide and skipped past the pitcher covering. Freeman scored on the error by shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. J.D. Martinez doubled to left, scoring Muncy all the way from first, with Martinez thrown out trying to take third. It’s 3-0 Dodgers.
Alek Thomas led off the bottom of the third with a walk, but was left stranded.
Through three innings, Dustin May has given up one hit and walked one while striking out three. He has made 41 pitches, 30 for strikes.
Score after three: Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 0
The Dodgers score in second inning
Max Muncy led off the top of the second with a walk. J.D. Martinez flied to right. David Peralta, making his return to Arizona after nine season there, flied to left. James Outman hit a bouncer up the third base line and beat it out for a single. Chris Taylor laced a full-count pitch to left for a base hit and an RBI. Jason Heyward flied to center.
The Diamondbacks got a two-out single but left the runner stranded.
Score after two: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0
Max Muncy trying to ‘recalibrate’ on defense after opening week errors
When the Dodgers were laying out their defensive plan this season, they were banking on dependable everyday defense from Max Muncy at third base.
During the season’s opening homestand, the 32-year-old infielder fell well short of expectations.
In five games, Muncy committed two errors and suffered a series of other misplays. He struggled with between-hop plays — including one grounder that drilled him in the groin area, prompting him to start wearing extra protective equipment near his waist. And on several occasions, he failed to convert fundamental backhand plays.
“I think it’s one of those things when things are going bad, they’re going bad,” Muncy said Thursday. “I’m in between on everything and getting some tricky hops and I’m not putting myself in a position to handle them.”
Added manager Dave Roberts: “If you look at every single grounder, he’s been in between on hops and that’s where I think he’s just got to recalibrate.”
Muncy and Roberts did offer one explanation — though Muncy didn’t want to “make any excuses” — noting that the new grass field at Dodger Stadium hadn’t completely set in yet because of rainy early-season weather, leading to different hops than Muncy was accustomed to last season.
“Once we get some warm weather,” Muncy said, “that will go away.”
In the meantime, Muncy spent a few extra minutes during Thursday’s pregame working on his defense, going through a fielding drill with third base coach Dino Ebel before taking a set of grounders at third base.
“I feel I’m a very good defender over there, but like I said, when things go bad, they go bad,” Muncys said. “You get a couple bad hops, put yourself in couple bad positions.”
He added: “There’s gonna come a time where things go good and I’ll have a candy hop every single play over there and hopefully I make every single one of them. Just one of those things that, you have to weather the storm and keep going out there every day.”
Miguel Vargas (thumb), Miguel Rojas (groin) nearing return to lineup
The Dodgers will be without their middle infield Miguels once again on Thursday night, but manager Dave Roberts said he’s expecting both back in the next few days.
Miguel Vargas (thumb) has been swinging and throwing with only limited soreness, and said he could be available to pinch-hit in the series opener against the Diamondbacks if needed.
“I’m hopeful he’ll be in there tomorrow,” Roberts said. “I just thought the cost of one more day isn’t that costly.”
Miguel Rojas (groin) is facing “a little more tricky” situation, Roberts said, given the club’s lack of depth at shortstop. While his injury isn’t considered serious, and Rojas himself said he was hopeful he could return to the lineup Friday, Roberts said the team was being extra cautious with the 34-year-old.
“It’s just the position he’s playing and that part of the body, the groin, it’s so dynamic,” Roberts said. “One move can set you back weeks. We just can’t afford that.”
Still, even if Rojas isn’t back on Friday, Roberts sounded as if he won’t miss much more time beyond that.
Here is how the Dodgers will line up Thursday night without them:
Will Smith too ‘vanilla’? Dodgers don’t care because he’s on a superstar path
On the surface, his personality is about as colorful as his name.
Postgame interviews conducted by Will Smith have the feel of court testimonies, his voice monotone, his face exhibiting no emotion.
That was the case again on Tuesday night, after Smith homered for the third consecutive game in the Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
“I think the hitting coaches do a really good job helping me find my swing really quick and take it to really competitive games,” he said.
Smith went on like this for a couple of minutes before he was reminded that scrums like this will become a regular part of his life if he continues hitting the way he is now.
ICYMI: Sharp outing by Julio Urías backed by a trio of homers as Dodgers sweep Rockies
The Dodgers traded their feast-or-famine offense for a Happy Medium Meal on Tuesday night, combining a solid-but-not-spectacular offense with some stout pitching from Julio Urías for a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies before a sellout crowd of 52,290 in Chavez Ravine.
A lineup that produced 31 runs on 33 hits in the team’s three wins and scored two runs on nine hits and went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position in two losses managed just seven hits and drew five walks Tuesday night.
But three of the hits were home runs, by Will Smith, Jason Heyward and Max Muncy, and that was enough to make a winner out of the efficient and effective Urías, who gave up five hits, struck out six and walked none in six shutout innings and escaped a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the third.
MLB pitch clock proving to be a mental and physical game-changer
It was the third inning Saturday and Clayton Kershaw needed a moment to collect himself.
The Dodgers were already leading the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1. But Gabriel Moreno led the inning off for Arizona with a double before taking third base on a flyball to center field. It was a potential game-changing spot. Kershaw knew what he wanted.
“I was like, ‘All right, we need a strikeout here,’ ” Kershaw recalled from the home dugout at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.
Various unintended consequences of the pitch clock have surfaced over the first week of the major league baseball season. Everyone at ballparks across the country have been affected — from players and coaches to fans and broadcasters. Some differences are obvious, others are not.
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
