No, it’s not déjà vu. The Dodgers had their second consecutive blowout victory led by Mookie Betts’ two home run, 4 hit night. He got things started with a leadoff homer to left in the 1st and then in the 3rd continued his tear, hitting another solo shot to make it 2-0 Dodgers after three.
A Bobby Witt Jr. RBI groundout in the bottom of the 3rd made it 2-1, and like they have been lately, the Dodgers came back and added to their lead. Jason Heyward doubled and Mookie Betts singled to make it 4-1. Then a Nick Pratto double and J.D. Martinez sac fly made it 5-2, and it seemed like the Dodgers never looked back from there. They scored four of the next five runs and closed it out 9-3.
David Peralta extended his 6 game hit streak and Bobby Miller looked like he was back to his form from his first couple of starts tossing 5 ⅔ innings of 3 run baseball tonight to keep the Dodgers at bay. That lead to a plethora of Dodger arms to finish the game out quietly, most notably Daniel Hudson, who pitched a scoreless inning in his first appearance since June of 2022 with an ACL injury. It sure is great to have bullpen help.
Here are my three takeaways from the game:
Mookie Betts Continues to Rake
He went 4-4 tonight with 2 home runs to back it up, and looked completely like the guy that was voted to start in the All-Star Game. In fact he is now hitting .267 after getting down into the .250’s not long ago. It seems that being voted an All-Star gives players some sort of power because it is providing dividends for Mookie Betts and the Dodgers as of late.
David Peralta is Among the League’s Hottest Hitters
David Peralta’s slash line through 60 plate appearances in June is 375/.417/.589 and he is scorching right now. He has a 6 game hitting streak and is looking like one of the best bargains in all of baseball. I always believed that David Peralta would be a savvy hitter and great veteran presence that can just spray the ball around the field for this team, but he is proving to be a key part of why the Dodgers are playing great baseball right now. If he even stays at the average he is at now, it would be a steal regardless, but after this stretch, Peralta may find himself closer to .300 before we know it.
Daniel Hudson is Back With a Vengeance
In June of 2022, Daniel Hudson suffered a serious knee injury in a freak play off the mound. After a promising start to his season with an ERA around 2, he was lost for the season, and in hindsight, might’ve been one of the reasons for the collapse in the first round of the playoffs last year. Tonight, Daniel Hudson made his first appearance since then and delivered a scoreless inning of dominance. He looked almost all the part of what we saw before the injury last year and this year, the staff may need him more than ever. With a bullpen that was destined to be shaken up at the deadline, this addition may prove to be one of their best moves, and it won’t even involve a trade. Any help is good help, but this help is a tremendous one for a staff that desperately needed reinforcements.
Julio Urias makes his long-awaited return for the Dodgers against Daniel Lynch for the Royals Saturday. The first pitch is set for 4:15 p.m. PT.
