May strikes out 9, pitches into 8th inning for the first time in Dodgers’ 4th straight win. Freddie Freeman doubled twice and drove in three, plus home runs from Michael Conforto and Mookie Betts.
Dustin May struggled mightily in June, pitching very much like someone whose days in the starting rotation were numbered. But with the calendar turned to July, May had one of the finest starts of his career in the Dodgers’ 6-2 win over the White Sox Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium.
May retired his first 16 batters faced and ended with a career high seven-plus innings pitched, not allowing a run until the eighth inning. His nine strikeouts matched a season best, and one shy of his career high set in 2021.
May’s previous longest start was a seven-inning gem on March 31, 2023 against the Diamondbacks.
On Thursday he was extremely economical, never throwing more than 15 pitches in a single frame. His 85 pitches got him two batters into the eighth inning, only one more pitch than he threw to get through four innings last Friday in Kansas City.
May allowed two singles in the sixth and a walk in the seventh, but nobody scored off of him until Josh Rojas singled and Brooks Baldwin homered to open the eighth inning. May didn’t record an out in his final frame, but he’s the first Dodgers starter this season to pitch into the eighth.
6 SCORELESS & 9 PUNCHES FOR D. MAY#LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/YzaH0O25iA
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) July 4, 2025
Nine strikeouts against only one walk for May were a stark contrast to his previous four starts, which totaled 12 strikeouts and 11 unintentional walks. This was a step in the right direction as he adds to an innings total (89⅔) that’s already his major league high, and his most pitched professionally since 144⅔ innings in 2019.
Freddie Freeman provided the bulk of the early offense, driving in the first three runs with doubles in the first and third innings, giving him three multi-hit games in his last four.
Since joining the Dodgers, Freeman has 21 games with multiple doubles, most in the majors. His 56 such games in his career is tied for 17th all-time.
Freeman in the fifth inning nearly added a third extra-base hit, driving a ball to the right field corner with enough distance to get over the wall. But Mike Tauchman was there to make the grab, reminiscent of his robbing Albert Pujols of a home run at Dodger Stadium in 2021 while with the Giants.
Sweeping success
Ten times this season the Dodgers had a chance to finish of a sweep of a series lasting at least three games, and they’ve been successful six times, including five out of seven tries at Dodger Stadium.
That’s a recipe for a 33-14 (.702) home record that is second-best in the majors, trailing only the Mets (31-13, .705)
Notes
- Michael Conforto hit a two-run shot in the third inning, his third home run in his last six games.
- Mookie Betts’ solo blast in the seventh inning was his first home run since June 8, with 91 plate appearances and over 20 games in between homers.
- Teoscar Hernández’s fifth-inning single was his 1,000th career hit
- Esteury Ruiz, called up from Oklahoma City earlier Thursday, made his Dodgers debut by playing the final two innings in right field.
Thursday particulars
Home runs: Michael Conforto (7), Mookie Betts (10); Brooks Baldwin (4)
WP — Dustin May (5-5): 7+ IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
LP — Aaron Civale (1-5): 5 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Up next
The homestand rolls on this weekend against the Astros, with Ben Casparius starting the series opener on Friday night (6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA). Lance McCullers Jr. takes the ball for Houston.