The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second straight game, led by rookie Michael Bush’s game-winning home run.
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 9-3, on Friday (May 25) at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, to open the 2023 Major League Baseball season.
The Dodgers, who are in first place in the National League West, won their second straight game to improve to 78-48 on the season. Meanwhile, second-place Cleveland in the American League Central, which lost its second straight, fell to 60-68.
Cleveland struck first. In the top of the second, Gabriel Arias and Will Brennan led off with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. Tyler Freeman struck out swinging, but a wild pitch allowed Arias to score from third, and Bo Naylor followed with an RBI double.
The Dodgers answered right back in the third. After a leadoff double by Kike Hernandez and a walk to Austin Barnes, pinch-hitter Mookie Betts led off with a single, Freddie Freeman followed with a double, and David Peralta hit an exquisite fielder’s choice to bring Betts home from third. 2-2 tie.
In the fourth inning, a rookie came through. With the bases loaded, Michael Bush hit a solo home run to center field. Gavin Williams’ first pitch was a curveball up the middle, and the rookie crushed it for a grand slam in his 17th game in the big leagues. It was the game-winner. Bush is an infield prospect who was selected by the Dodgers with the 31st overall pick in the 2019 first round.
The Dodgers didn’t stop there. In the top of the fifth, Betts and Freeman singled and Peralta walked to load the bases. Max Muncy’s grounder to first base threw Betts out at home, but center fielder Ramon Loriano missed Jason Heyward’s routine fly ball, allowing Freeman to score, James Outman to double and Bush to hit a sacrifice fly.
The Dodgers responded with a run in the seventh on Hernandez’s RBI double and again in the ninth on Hernandez’s eighth homer of the season.
Cleveland got a solo home run from Arias in the eighth, but it was too late.
The Dodgers had a successful bullpen day, with Caleb Ferguson (one scoreless inning), Ryan Yarbrough (three scoreless innings), Ryan Peppiott (four scoreless innings), and Evan Phillips (one scoreless inning). Peppiott got the win. At the plate, Hernandez was the star of the show, going 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.먹튀검증
Meanwhile, Cleveland starter Williams suffered his fifth loss of the season after allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits (one home run) with two walks and five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Arias had three hits, including a home run, in the loss.
The Dodgers travel to Boston for a three-game weekend series against the Red Sox beginning on April 26.