The Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 on Monday which seems like a totally normal score, though perhaps with a little more offense than the Dodgers put forth during their July-August malaise. They’ve now scored at least six runs in three straight games, a streak they’ve now achieved twice within their last eight contests.
But it’s how the Dodgers scored on Monday that was notable. They only had three hits.
The big blow was a three-run home run by Teoscar Hernández, which blew the game open and continued
a tremendous run by the veteran slugger who is healthy again and able to use his old swing to great effect.
Hernández, who also singled and scored in the fifth inning, had two of the Dodgers’ three hits on Monday. During his eight-game hit streak, Hernández is 13 for 29 with two home runs and three doubles, hitting .448/.543/.759 with 11 RBI, including driving in runs in each of the last five games.
The Dodgers in their franchise history have scored six or more runs on no more than three hits only once before. On May 7, 2022, the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 in the second game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field. Mookie Betts did the heavy lifting that day, with a three-run double and two-run home run, accounting for two of the Dodgers’ three hits.
Four years ago in Chicago, the Dodgers walked nine times to complement their three hits. On Monday against the Reds, the Dodgers walked six times and were hit by a pitch. An error accounted for two of the Dodgers’ six runs on Monday.
Scoring at least six runs on no more than three hits has happened only 29 times in modern major league history. The Dodgers have their last two such games. Before that, the most recent was April 22, 2021, when the Seattle Mariners scored seven runs in a 10-inning win at Fenway Park.
The most runs scored on no more than three hits is eight, by the Oakland A’s on April 12, 1994 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The fewest hits in scoring six runs is one, by the Chicago White Sox on August 28, 1909 against the Washington Senators. The Sox took advantage of 11 walks by the wonderfully-named Dolly Gray in that one.
The last two nights at Dodger Stadium have featured rarities. On Sunday, there was actual rain (though nothing that interrupted the game). On Monday, it was scoring six runs on only three hits. Let’s see what Tuesday brings.
