The Dodgers kept giving the Giants openings, then kept slamming the door on them.
Los Angeles blew three separate leads on the night, but still walked away with a 10-4 win, thanks to another big game from Mookie Betts and a steady burst from Will Smith. Betts set the tone from the top of the order, while Smith added the kind of damage that turns a close game into a runaway. Together, they finished with seven hits and four RBI.
Betts was everywhere. He went 4-for-4, scored twice and drove in two runs, and he reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances.
He started the scoring with a double in the first inning, then pushed the Dodgers ahead 2-0 with an RBI single in the second. After the Giants fought back, Betts answered again with an RBI double in the fourth to put Los Angeles back in front, 4-3.
He wasn’t done there - his leadoff double in the sixth helped ignite another three-run inning that cracked the game open.
Smith made his mark in a hurry too. His leadoff home run in the bottom of the third snapped a 2-2 tie, and it was his second homer in as many games. He came back with a leadoff single in the fifth, and the Dodgers turned that into another three-run inning.
The Giants had chances to make it messier. Tarik Skubal stranded runners in the first and second before the third inning started to slip away.
Victor Bericoto tied the game with a two-run homer, and San Francisco opened the fourth with back-to-back singles. Even then, the Giants managed just one run, leaning on two sacrifice bunts in a row.
Bericoto kept squarely in Skubal’s business in the fifth, ripping a leadoff double that set up Jung Hoo Lee’s extra-base hit.
Skubal allowed four earned runs, his most in nine starts with the Dodgers. His five innings matched his shortest outing since the trade.
There was also a bigger-picture note for Los Angeles. With the win, the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch at least the No. 2 seed in the National League dropped to four. They still need to finish with a better record than the Atlanta Braves because they do not hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Next up, the Dodgers have a chance to sweep the Giants before an off day and the start of their final home series of the regular season.
In Other News...
Dodgers Could Get A Massive Lift Right Before The Padres Series
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Pages is targeting a return for Tuesday's opener after recovering from hand surgery, while Sasaki is expected to be available out of the bullpen in one of the games as he comes back from a blister on his hand. Ohtani, who has been progressing with running and hitting drills, is eligible to return on Wednesday and could wait until Thursday, leaving the Dodgers with a little suspense even as the lineup and staff begin to get healthier. [Read more 🡒]
Roki Sasakis New Dodgers Role Could Matter More Than Ever
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For a Dodgers team always balancing October and the long regular season, that kind of flexibility can matter. Sasaki showed he could handle relief work late last season, and the postseason only added to that rsum, so this move gives Los Angeles another weapon while it eases him back into the mix. What remains to be seen is how quickly the Dodgers lean into the bigger late-game role his recent track record suggests he can handle. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face One Big October Decision On Josue De Paula
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The wrinkle is less about talent than eligibility, which can make these late-season roster calls feel like their own separate game. Because De Paula was not on the 40-man roster by Sept. 1, the Dodgers would need to go through the Commissioner's Office to have him included on the postseason roster, and that path depends on replacing an injured player who has already met the minimum injured-list requirement. For a team with championship expectations, it leaves one more October decision hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]