by Cary Osborne
Maybe this was Will Smith’s got-well game.
The Dodger catcher has been mired in a lengthy slump, but on Tuesday he was a triple short of a cycle in the Dodgers’ 7–2 win against the Brewers in Milwaukee — the Dodgers’ fifth straight win.
Smith started the Dodger offense with a solo home run in the second inning that landed in the second deck at American Family Field. He had a single in the Dodgers’ five-run fourth inning and added a double in the fifth.
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Smith was 3-for-27 this month coming into the game and hadn’t hit a home run since July 6. Smith homered in four straight at-bats from July 5–6.
“It’s always frustrating when you’re struggling and all that,” Smith said. “Just continue to show up every day, go out there and compete, try to help the team win.”
Smith’s homer was his 16th of the season. He still leads all National League catchers in the category.
The Dodgers hit four homers in the game — Shohei Ohtani (a solo homer in the third), Gavin Lux (a two-run homer in the fourth) and Andy Pages (a two-run homer in the fourth).
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Ohtani now has 37 home runs. He’s on pace for 50 home runs this season.
Shawn Green set the franchise record with 49 home runs in 2001.
Piggy-Backing Rookies
Rookie Gavin Stone had been stuck on nine wins since June 26 when he shut out the Chicago White Sox. He finally got №10 on Tuesday.
Stone went five innings, allowed three hits, no walks and one run, striking out six batters. Opponents were hitting .366 against Stone over his last six starts. The Brewers were 3-for-18 (.167) against him on Tuesday.
Stone was ahead on the count against 12 of the 19 batters he faced and earned first-pitch outs on two other batters.
“Get ahead and stay ahead early and just be on attack the whole time. And that was really just the focus tonight,” Stone said.
Opponents came into the game batting .190 against Stone when behind in the count and .303 when they’re ahead.
Rookie Landon Knack pitched the final four innings, allowing three hits and a run with two strikeouts to earn his first career save.
It was the 11th four-inning save by a Dodger pitcher this century.
This was also the fourth time this season the Dodgers didn’t allow a walk in a game.
Ryan to Have Surgery, Veterans on Their Way Up
River Ryan will have Tommy John surgery.
The rookie right-hander was pulled in the fifth inning on Saturday after experiencing right forearm tightness and was placed on the injured list the next day.
Now he will miss the rest of 2024 and likely the 2025 season.
“He’s been through trials and knows how to handle it mentally,” Roberts said. “He’s going to miss being with the guys, but this is a surgery that they have a pretty good handle on it, so we expect a full recovery. (But) it’s disappointing.”
Ryan had a 1.33 ERA in four starts (20 1/3 innings).
Roberts said he expects the rehabbing Max Muncy and Tommy Edman — who both started for Triple-A Oklahoma City tonight — to join the Dodgers early next week.
Walker Buehler, who last started for the Dodgers on June 18, will come off the injured list (right hip inflammation) on Wednesday and start against the Brewers.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a 40-pitch bullpen at Dodger Stadium and a simulated game is next for him.
Where They Stand
The Dodgers (71–49) go for the series win in game three of the four-game series against the Brewers (67–52) on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Smith and Stone get back to where they once belonged was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.