It took 18 painful innings, but 24-year-old Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages finally snapped the Dodgers scoring drought with his sixth-inning one-out single to left, scoring Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman from second base in the Dodgers 3-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Sunday.
Freeman had reached on a single to right and advanced to second on a walk of Dodgers left fielder Michael Conforto by Rays right-handed reliever Mason Englert, who was charged with the loss.
(SportsNet LA)
“It was, you know, a start, as far as kind of the at-bat quality, putting the ball in play, winning pitches, and giving ourselves a chance at the bat,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame of his team’s combined eight hits on Sunday, including Pages’ drought-busting game-winner.
As far as that goose egg by the Rays, credit an outstanding 5.2-inning shutout start by 26-year-old Bizen, Japan native Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a combined 3.1 shutout innings by relievers Alex Vesia, Brock Stewart, Blake Treinen, and Ben Casparius. Yamamoto struck out six Rays batters (with no walks), and the relief corps a combined three strikeouts (with two walks by Treinen, who recently returned to action after a stint on the IL for right forearm tightness). It was Yamamoto’s team-leading 10th win of the season, to go along with his team-leading 139 strikeouts and stellar 2.51 ERA.
“This one somehow a little bit effective, but I was successfully adjusted and I was ready to get into this game,” Yamamoto said postgame through an interpreter.
(SportsNet LA)
With the win, the NL West first-place Dodgers remain 3.0 games up on the second-place San Diego Padres and 9.0 games up on the third-place Giants, both of whom also won on Sunday.
Welcome home, Boys!
Play Ball!
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