The Dodgers made a statement in their final homestand opener, pounding the Giants 8-2 on Friday night behind a five-homer night and a breakout showing from Josue De Paula.
Los Angeles also kept doing what it has done so often against San Francisco lately. The Dodgers have won the season series each of the last four years and are now 44-22 against the Giants since 2022.
In the bigger picture, the all-time series sits at 1,292-1,291-19, with the Giants holding the slightest edge in series wins. A win on Saturday or Sunday would even the all-time season series.
The Dodgers are also 27-17 against the National League West this season.
Mookie Betts jump-started everything with a leadoff home run in the first inning, his 33rd leadoff homer with the Dodgers and his first since 2024. San Francisco answered by taking the lead, but Los Angeles kept chipping back until the game swung for good in the late innings.
The fifth inning started with a leadoff single from Josue De Paula, and Betts followed with another single to move him into scoring position. Teoscar Hernández then delivered with one out, driving in the tying run with a single.
In the sixth, Kyle Tucker led off with a walk and later came around to score on an RBI double from De Paula. That gave De Paula a hand in both the tying and go-ahead runs in his Dodger Stadium debut, strengthening his case for a postseason roster spot.
Then came the avalanche in the eighth. Max Muncy opened the inning with a solo shot, Tucker followed with another homer, De Paula drew a two-out walk, and Betts crushed his second homer of the night to make it 7-2. Will Smith added the fourth home run of the inning on the 20th anniversary of the 4+1 game.
Tyler Glasnow gave the Dodgers exactly the kind of rebound outing they needed after a rough last start. Dave Roberts said before the game, “We flew him straight here from Miami, so he got back on Pacific Standard Time, in his own bed, one leg of travel versus two,” Roberts said before the game.
“He threw his bullpen a few days ago, and it was great. He’s dialed.”
Glasnow backed that up with six innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out a season-high six. Jung Hoo Lee got the Giants on the board with a solo homer in the second, and San Francisco later scored again in that inning after a leadoff walk, another walk, and a two-run RBI single. After that, Glasnow settled in and didn’t allow another baserunner until a leadoff walk in the sixth, then finished his night with a strikeout.
Kris Bubic, Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz handled the final three innings without giving up a run. Evan Phillips was warming up for the ninth and would have taken the save opportunity before the Dodgers pushed the margin to six and went to Díaz instead.
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Dodgers May Be Turning A Corner In Two Crucial Areas
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Edwin Diaz also offered a promising sign in his first relief appearance since coming off the injured list, working a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts. For a club trying to steady both its bats and its late-inning relief work, nights like this matter because they hint at progress in more than one direction, even if the bigger test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]