The Dodgers faced a four run deficit after just half an inning, but came back to score six unanswered runs on four home runs to defeat the Giants by a final score of 7-5.
Once again, Heliot Ramos began the game reaching base, as he lined an opposite field single against Tyler Glasnow. Willy Adames followed up Ramos with a single past a diving Mookie Betts into left field before Matt Chapman worked a walk to load the bases with only one out. Rookie Bryce Eldridge, who was hitless in his first nine
at-bats entering Saturday, clobbered a ball off the base of the wall for his first career hit, clearing the bases and giving the Giants an early three run lead.
Glasnow loaded the bases again after allowing a single and a walk to Jung Hoo Lee and Casey Schmitt respectively before getting a huge strikeout of Patrick Bailey. Drew Gilbert gave the Giants their third walk of the inning, plating Eldridge to push the lead to four. Glasnow brought a merciful end to the inning with a strikeout of Ramos, but not before facing 10 hitters and tossing 43 pitches.
Right-hander Kai-Wei Teng was just one pitch away from getting a perfect first inning after striking out both Shohei Ohtani and Betts. His 1-2 pitch to Freddie Freeman connected with his back foot, and Max Muncy made Teng pay with a screaming line drive that just did clear the right center field wall, cutting the deficit in half.
Both Glasnow and Teng recovered over their next two innings of work, and although Glasnow was able to complete five full innings of work, Teng’s night was done after three innings. José Buttó took over in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the former Giant Michael Conforto kept his tear against his former team going with an opposite field home run to shrink the deficit to one run.
Conforto finished with three hits on the night, and his batting average once again begins with a 2 at .203.
After getting Ben Rortvedt to fly out for the second out, both Ohtani and Betts each worked walks against Buttó, prompting Bob Melvin to put the ball in the hands of southpaw Matt Gage against Freddie Freeman. Freeman grounded a ball that barely missed Betts running to second base, scoring Ohtani and tying the game at four.
The Dodgers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Tommy Edman launched a fly ball that banged off the left field foul pole for his first home run since July 29. It was Edman’s 13th home run of the season, tying a career high set in both 2022 and 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Shohei Ohtani pummeled an opposite field home run off Peguero to push the Dodger lead to two runs. It’s the second time this week that Ohtani has hit home runs in two consecutive games, and his 53 home runs on the season are tied with Kyle Schwarber for the National League lead. He needs just one home run to tie not only his career high in home runs, but also the Dodgers single season home run record.
Teoscar Hernández gave the Dodgers a three-run lead with an RBI single that ricocheted off the glove of Chapman and snuck its way into left field.
The Giants got a run back on a solo home run from Rafael Devers against Kirby Yates, giving the Giants slugger just his second hit against the Dodgers all year. Justin Wrobleski was able to keep the lead at two after relieving Yates.
Will Klein took over in the eighth inning for his first appearance since July 26 against the Boston Red Sox. Klein managed to strike out the side, with his fastball reaching a maximum velocity of 101 miles per hour.
Jack Dreyer notched his fourth save of the season in a perfect ninth inning, as the Dodgers are now winners of four straight games. Their division lead is still at four games with the San Diego Padres defeating the Chicago White Sox, but their magic number to win the division is now down to 3.
Game particulars
- Home runs— Max Muncy (19), Michael Conforto (12), Tommy Edman (13), Shohei Ohtani (53); Rafael Devers (32)
- WP— Tyler Glasnow (4-3): 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
- LP— Joel Peguero (3-1): 1 2/3 IP, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
- SV— Jack Dreyer (4): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
Up next
The Dodgers play their final home game of the regular season on Sunday as they wrap up their four game set against the Giants (1:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading out to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. Emmet Sheehan starts the finale for the Dodgers against right-hander Trevor McDonald.
