In the second game of Mookie Betts’ Fenway Park return, Julio Urias got the start as he looked to secure a series victory for the Dodgers. He would end up having an ugly 6th inning, finishing up his start in rough fashion and leaving the Red Sox up 6-4 through 6 innings. A 4-2 Dodger lead was erased, and the team was left to fight from behind. Boston would add on again in the 7th and 8th innings to pad their lead as the Dodger lineup could not rally for a comeback win. They will now play a rubber match tomorrow as the team looks to make it 8 consecutive series wins.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Urias lets the home runs fly in rough start
It seemed as if there were multiple instances in Saturday’s game in which Julio Urias let the Dodger’s lead slip away via a Boston home run. In the first inning, it was Alex Verdugo who immediately tied the game at 1 with a leadoff home run. It was Verdugo’s third consecutive game with a leadoff home run and his second in a row against the Dodgers. In the 4th, with Los Angeles up 2-1, it was the ex-Dodger Justin Turner who burned his former team with a solo home run. Finally, it was Adam Duvall who delivered the big blow in the 6th inning. He shot a 3-run homer up and onto the Green Monster that put the Red Sox up back up 5-4. The cherry on top for Boston was an RBI single from Reese McGuire that would make it 6-4 and end the day for Urias.
For Urias, it was his 6th loss of the year, bringing his record to 11-6. His three home runs allowed is a mark that will need to be improved upon going forward if he wants to give the Dodger offense an easier time of staying in games and continuing to widen the gap in the NL West standings.
Dodgers load the bases but come up short in the 9th
Pitching staffs on both the Dodgers and Red Sox struggled to find consistency, as the game finished with a combined 20 hits from the two sides. With the Dodgers down 8-5 in the top of the 9th, they gave Boston one last scare. A Jason Heyward single, James Outman HBP, and David Peralta BB had the bases loaded with 2 outs for none other than Mookie Betts. With the opportunity to gather a huge hit in his former stomping grounds, he flew out to deep center field to end the game and give Boston the win. Despite the unfortunate moment, Betts has been red-hot as of late, including a 5-5 performance in the team’s last series against the Guardians. On Saturday he went 3-6 with an RBI, and his average on the season is up to .312. Betts and his teammate Freddie Freeman have been scorching as of late with the Dodgers surging at the right time, and they will both be needed on Sunday for an important game.
Muncy hits 30th HR, joins an exclusive club
While the Dodgers lost a tough game, Max Muncy made some history with his 2-run home run in the top of the fifth inning. The home run was his 30th of the season and marked his 4th season with Los Angeles in which he has hit 30+ home runs. The only other Dodgers in Franchise history to have 4+ seasons with 30+ home runs for the team are Roy Campanella, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Duke Snider, and Gil Hodges.
The list of elite company will come as a big honor for Muncy, who has been a big source of power in the Dodger lineup since his stint with the team began. Muncy has the potential to be one of the most impactful players in the big leagues if he can find a way to improve his batting average and get on base more often. In the meantime, the team and fanbase will be relying on him to keep slugging away with the playoffs right around the corner.
Mookie Betts the Dodgers will be right back at it on Sunday morning with the series on the line, and look to take a big win over his former team. Betts had not been back at Fenway Park before the series since September 30, 2019. He would love to head out of Boston with bragging rights and give the Dodgers their 8th series win in a row.
First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 PST.
