LOS ANGELES – The ceiling of this Dodgers lineup is still unknown. But they appear to have established a five-point floor.
The Dodgers have scored at least five times in each of their first eight games this season. It was just enough to beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4, on Tuesday night.
This is the first time the Dodgers have started a season with at least five runs in each of their first eight games since joining the National League in 1890. Only nine other teams since 1900 have scored five or more runs in each of their first eight games. games (or more), according to MLB statistician Sarah Langs.
Mookie Betts did a lot of that by scoring himself in an MVP-level start to the season.
Betts was 2 for 5 with his fifth homer of the season and scored two of the Dodgers’ runs Tuesday night.
He reached base on a single in the first inning, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Freddie Freeman. It was the fourth time in eight games that Betts had scored in the first inning – the Dodgers won all four of those games.
In his next at-bat, Betts hit a 3-for-1 changeup off Giants ace Logan Webb into the left-field pavilion for a solo home run — and the 1,500th hit of his career.
Betts has already scored 14 points this season. The New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins did not. And Betts’ five homers represent more than 10 teams that have hit this season.
The home run tied the score at 2-2 after left-hander Ryan Yarbrough got off to a rough start in his no-start.
Once the rotation ended in this territory, the Dodgers starters allowed four runs in 27 innings. But they opted for a bullpen game Tuesday to keep those starters at least five days off.
The Dodgers got a scoreless first inning from Ryan Brasier before sending Yarbrough into the “big” role.
The first batter he faced, Wilmer Flores, doubled and eventually scored on a two-out single by Nick Ahmed. In the third inning, Yarbrough allowed another double (to Matt Chapman) and another run.
The Dodgers took the lead with a three-run burst from the bottom half of their lineup in the fourth inning. Max Muncy led off with a double. Teoscar Hernández took a step. Two batters later, Gavin Lux doubled in a run and Kiké Hernandez scored two with a single.
This lead almost disappeared in the sixth inning.
Yarbrough ran into trouble again, giving up a leadoff home run to Jorge Soler and singles to Michael Conforto and Flores. A point scored on a force out, making it a one-point game. Alex Vesia arrived and abandoned a long flight to Austin Slater before escaping further damage.
Michael Grove and Evan Phillips combined to protect that one-run lead over the final three innings, with Phillips getting a four-out save.
More to come on this story.
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