Outfielder Jason Heyward and infielder Amed Rosario both had three hits on Sunday, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-1 victory and a three-game weekend sweep over the Seattle Mariners.
The veteran Heyward has put together an impressive season, despite many naysayers believing his MLB career was finished years ago. His 15th homerun of the year put the Dodgers on top in the first inning, and his RBI single in the fourth inning stretched the lead to four. From there, the Dodgers never really looked back.
Although righty reliever Shelby Miller opened the game on the mound for the Dodgers, swing man Ryan Yarbrough and young righty Gavin Stone threw the bulk of the innings. Yarbrough went 4-2/3 frames and earned the win, surrendering one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Stone earned his first career save in 3-1/3 frames of shutout action, allowing one hit and two walks while punching out five.
Catcher Austin Barnes and outfielder James Outman both added home runs to power the Los Angeles offense.
Sunday’s win was especially impressive since the Dodgers rested five regular players in Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas.
Next up for the Dodgers is a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers at home beginning Monday. Lance Lynn will throw the opener, and the team is likely to use a bullpen strategy Tuesday before sending Bobby Miller to the mound in Wednesday’s finale.
The Tigers sit at 70-79 and are in third place in the American League Central, clearly out of the playoff race.
After clinching the National League West on Saturday, the biggest news surrounding the Dodgers right now is the postseason starting rotation. At this point the team has four legitimate starters available in Lynn, Miller, Clayton Kershaw and Ryan Pepiot.
Kershaw went just four innings and threw only 56 pitches in Saturday’s middle game. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters this weekend that Kersh has a spot in the playoff rotation as long as he’s able to go. However, one more injury could nearly cripple a rotation that currently ranks 19th in the majors.
While the Dodgers have depended heavily on pitching for their postseason hopes in the past, 2023 could be the year of the offense. Even with a depleted pitching staff this season, Los Angeles has handled some of the better teams across baseball. The real challenge will come when they face the elite clubs in the playoffs.