Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI and Clayton Kershaw threw six strong innings to propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to a victory on Sunday, securing a much-needed series win against a high-quality National League opponent.
The lone scar of the series was a 14-0 shellacking on Friday, a game in which the Los Angeles offense was completely dormant against veteran starter Drew Smyly.
However, Sunday’s win tipped the Dodgers back onto the plus side of the win column — a great sign for a club that has epitomized the concept of inconsistency for the first few weeks of the 2023 season.
The Cubs got on the board in the first inning after Cody Bellinger drove home Nico Hoerner with a single to center field, then added another run on the next AB when Bellinger scored on a Seya Suzuki single to left.
From there, the Los Angeles offense came to life a bit. Mookie Betts, who made his second appearance at shortstop this year, got the Dodgers on the board in the third inning with his third homer of the season, scoring Austin Barnes. Down by a run in the sixth, Max Muncy hit his team-leading 11th long ball, driving home Freddie Freeman and putting his club ahead to stay.
More importantly, Kershaw settled down to secure his fourth win of the year. Aside from a spotty first inning and surrendering a Yan Gomes homer to left field in the fifth, the veteran lefty looked decent, allowing just one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out six batters.
Justin Bruihl threw a scoreless seventh, and despite allowing three hits, Brusdar Graterol held the Cubs at bay in the eighth and ninth innings to notch his first save of the year. Aside from David Peralta, all the players in the Los Angeles starting lineup reached base on Sunday.
James Outman, who was one of the game’s big offensive heroes on Saturday and an early frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year, was relatively quiet, aside from a double down the right field line in the second iniing off Chicago starter Marcus Stroman.
Sunday’s win put the Dodgers in a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West, with the San Diego Padres on their heels with a 12-12 record.
The Dodgers will stay on the road and begin a three-game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates on Tuesday after an off day on Monday.
Set to start Tuesday’s opener for Los Angeles is righty Noah Syndergaard. As it stands, it looks like Tony Gonsolin could slide into the rotation and make his first start of the year on Wednesday. Julio Urias is scheduled to start the finale on Thursday.