MIAMI, FL - The Dodgers didn’t need Shohei Ohtani to deliver a knockout punch on Friday night. Kyle Tucker handled that part just fine.
Tucker’s grand slam broke the game open in the seventh inning and powered Los Angeles to a 6-2 win over the Miami Marlins in the series opener. The blast came after the Marlins had already made life difficult for themselves, and it turned a tight 2-1 game into a comfortable Dodgers cushion.
The at-bat started with Victor Vodnik in the game for Miami. He struck out Alex Freeland and Kiké Hernández to open the inning, then things unraveled fast.
Tommy Edman drew a walk, Max Muncy singled, and Mookie Betts walked to load the bases. That brought Cade Gibson in to face Tucker, and on the fourth pitch Gibson tried a 79.5 mph curveball.
Tucker crushed it 395 feet to right field.
That swing capped a huge night for Tucker, who went 3-for-3 with five RBI and finished a double short of the cycle. It was a sharp reminder of the hitter the Dodgers believed they were getting when they signed him to a four-year, $240 million deal over the offseason. He entered Friday hitting .225/.323/.361/.684 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI, but against Miami he looked every bit like a middle-of-the-order difference-maker.
Clayton McCullough didn’t dance around what happened after the game.
"Tucker's a terrific hitter," Clayton McCullough said postgame. "Handles lefties well.
Independent of how maybe this season is going, he's still a fantastic hitter and has been for a long time. He got a hanging breaking ball and turned the game for them."
Los Angeles also got a steady outing from Ryan Gusto, who answered a rough last start against the Chicago Cubs with six innings of two-run ball. He gave up five hits, struck out three, and kept the Dodgers from ever fully losing control of the game. Gusto has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.
His season numbers now sit at a 4.14 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 7.47 K/9 and 2.87 BB/9 across 78 ⅓ innings.
"I thought his cutter was very good tonight, and mixed in his offspeed very well," McCullough said. "A really good start results-wise to go six and two runs. He continues, really for the last month-plus, of really throwing the ball well and giving us a great chance to win games."
Miami did get a run in the sixth when Agustín Ramírez ripped a 107.5 mph double into right-center, bringing in Javier Sanoja. It was a notable night for Ramírez, who was making his first start behind the plate in more than a month after spending time back with Triple-A Jacksonville.
Since rejoining the club, he has mostly been used in a platoon role and rarely caught even when he’s in the lineup. The double was only his fifth RBI in 28 games since his call-up.
"Coming off the off day, I wanted to have his bat in the lineup, and thought this would be a good time to get him back there behind the plate," McCullough said. "He got a caught stealing and had some good blocks tonight.
Handled the guys well, so it was a good night for Gus. Credit to him.
It's hard to not be back there for an extended amount of time, but put in the work required and be able to go back there and be ready tonight to go do and perform."
The loss drops Miami to 72-76 and officially knocks the Marlins out of the National League East race. The franchise has never won the division in its 34-year history.
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