Dodgers’ Offense Stifles Giants To Split Series
The Boys (in Blue) are back in town!
After failing to produce a single run in their first two games, the Dodgers saw their worst offensive start to a season in 50 years causing fans to wonder if the club really was experiencing a World Series “hangover”; however, these past two games they extinguished those thoughts by proving why they were deemed National League Champions just over five months ago.
On Saturday night, the Dodgers got off to a fast start, putting up two runs in the first inning and avoiding a franchise-worst 19-inning scoreless streak to start a season. They would add one more in the third followed quickly by two more in the fourth en route to a 5-0 Dodgers victory. Kenta Maeda was absolutely brilliant, tossing five shut out innings and allowing only five hits and one walk while striking out ten.
Despite scoring five runs, the Dodgers only had four hits all game; however, the hits came when they counted and the Dodgers starting and relief pitching were able to keep the Giants’ offense “at bay” as they returned the shut out favor from the previous two nights.
Tonight, the Dodgers came out with guns blazing. The Boys in Blue racked up 9 runs on 13 hits including a two-run bomb from Dodgers’ 2017 National League Rookie of the Year, Cody Bellinger – the first home run hit by any Dodger player this entire season.
Yasiel Puig, Yasmani Grandal, and Kiké Hernandez also had big nights with Puig going 3-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Grandal going 2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and Hernandez going 2-4 with a run scored and two RBI’s. Dodgers’ starting pitcher, Rich Hill, continued with the Dodgers excellent pitching, allowing no runs on only 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 through six solid innings of work.
Despite the slow start to the season, the Dodgers were able to hold the Giants to only 2 runs through 4 games, both of which came off of solo homers from Giants’ second baseman, Joe Panik. If the first two games were frustrating for fans to watch, the next two were an absolute delight as the Dodgers‘ offense stepped up to help the team split the series 2-2. Next up, the Dodgers will head to Arizona to face the (2-1) Diamondbacks in a best of three series beginning tomorrow night at 6:40 pm PST.
BakoBoyInBlue
