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Perfect 10: Tony Gonsolin excels to stay unbeaten as Dodgers defeat Padres
One of the pitchers who started Friday night at Dodger Stadium has already won a Cy Young Award.
In the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres, however, it was the other who cemented himself as a strong early contender for this year’s honor.
In perhaps his best start in the big leagues, Tony Gonsolin stole the show in front of 48,076 at Chavez Ravine, giving up just one run in a career-high 7⅔ innings to tighten his grasp on the majors’ best earned-run average.
“He was outstanding tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought he had his entire mix working.”
Echoed catcher Austin Barnes: “He’s going after hitters, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s got a lot of conviction in each throw.”
Final: Dodgers win 5-1 thanks to Tony Gonsolin’s longest start of career
Tony Gonsolin strengthened his grip on the majors’ ERA lead in dominant fashion with a career-long start of 7 2/3 innings in the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory over the Padres.
In one of his best big league outings, the right-hander gave up just one run and four hits. He struck out eight without walking a batter. And in addition to his major league-best 1.54 ERA, he is baseball’s leader in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) at 0.82 and opponent batting average (.156).
He was only removed in the eighth inning once the top of the Padres’ order came up for a fourth time, making way for Evan Phillips, who stranded an inherited runner at first.
And in the next half-inning, the Dodgers ensured his gem wouldn’t go to waste, extending their lead when Trayce Thompson’s double helped key a two-run rally.
Gonsolin is now a perfect 10-0 on the season.
The Dodgers are 48-28.
Final: Dodgers win 5-1
Dodgers retake lead on Cody Bellinger’s home run
As soon as Blake Snell left the game, the Dodgers went back in front.
Facing Padres reliever Craig Stammen with two outs in the sixth, Cody Bellinger got all of a 1-and-1 cutter at the knees, launching his 11th home run of the season into the right-field pavilion to give his team the lead again.
End 6th: Dodgers lead 2-1
Blake Snell strikes out 12 but exits with high pitch count after five innings
Blake Snell recorded 15 outs tonight.
Twelve were via a strikeout.
While he got into constant trouble, including putting two more aboard in the fifth, Snell’s ability to get Ks helped him limit the damage in a 107-pitch outing — giving up his lone run on Max Muncy’s solo blast.
The Dodgers will now have to try to take the lead against the Padres’ bullpen.
Mid 6th: Tied 1-1
Padres tie it up on Trent Grisham’s towering home run
The Dodgers had chances to extend their lead in both the third and fourth innings, loading the bases in one and putting runners on second and third in the other.
However, they came up empty both times.
And in the top of the fifth, Trent Grisham made them pay.
Grisham hit a towering home run off Tony Gonsolin, a solo blast that landed in the loge level in right field.
That tied the score, thought Gonsolin got through the rest of the inning unscathed. He has thrown only 58 pitches through five innings.
Dodgers strike first on Max Muncy’s solo home run
Tonight’s game had the potential to be a pitchers’ duel, with one former Cy Young Award winner, Blake Snell of the Padres, facing one of this year’s early-season contenders, the majors’ leader in ERA, Tony Gonsolin.
Through the first two innings, it’s been advantage Gonsolin.
While the Dodgers right-hander has posted a couple of quick zeros against a Padres lineup that didn’t include Manny Machado, his team’s lineup struck first against Snell, courtesy of a Max Muncy solo home run in the second inning.
End 2nd: Dodgers lead 1-0
Mookie Betts could be back in ‘next few days’; waiver claim Ian Gibaut activated
Mookie Betts continued to increase the workload of his rehabilitation from a cracked rib Friday.
He took swings off a pitching machine, ran the bases and, most importantly, felt good afterward, leading manager Dave Roberts to declare that Betts could be back “in the next few days.”
While Roberts didn’t give a more exact timeline — he said it’s to be determined whether Betts can return before the end of the weekend — he nonetheless said it was a good sign for the former MVP, who has been out since hurting his rib in a June 15 outfield collision with teammate Cody Bellinger.
“As far as what we wanted to accomplish, he’s taking full effort swings, passing that test,” Roberts said. “Taking some ground balls, throwing, stretching it out. I just talked to him, and he said everything felt good.”
Roberts reiterated that Betts will likely come back playing second base, where he wouldn’t be as bothered with short throws on the infield.
Roberts said Betts, who has told the team he isn’t comfortable being a designated hitter, will have to be mindful upon his return about not diving — in the field or while running the bases.
The last step for Betts will be facing live pitching, which he is slated to do Saturday against Caleb Ferguson, who is also on the injured list.
“That’s probably the last box he needs to check,” Roberts said.
Ian Gibaut activated
A day after claiming him off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians, right-handed pitcher Ian Gibaut was activated by the Dodgers, who optioned Justin Bruihl in a corresponding move.
Gibaut, 28, has appeared in 28 games in the majors over four seasons with four different teams. He made one appearance for the Guardians on Monday before being designated for assignment and claimed by the Dodgers.
“I was pretty damn happy,” Gibaut said with a beaming smile about joining the Dodgers. “I was pretty excited to get out here.”
Roberts said the team was intrigued by Gibaut’s arsenal, which includes a fastball in the upper-90s, a slider, a changeup and a newly implemented cutter that Gibaut said Dodgers personnel told him they liked.
“I’ve been messing around with it only for a few days,” said Gibaut, who said he used it in his outing with the Guardians. “But yeah, I figured I’d hop on the mound, try it out and test it out in a game. Liked the way it moved. It felt good.”
He made a name tossing peanuts at Dodgers games. That’s a no-no now
You can look up to the broadcast booth at Dodger Stadium, but you won’t see Vin Scully there any more. Next year, you won’t see Jaime Jarrín there.
You can buy a Dodger Dog, but Farmer John doesn’t make them any more.
And, from the list of disappearing Dodger Stadium traditions, this just in: You can buy a bag of peanuts from Roger Owens, but he can’t throw the bag to you any more.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers’ broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season:
ICYMI: Justin Turner shakes off rough month with two homers in Dodgers win
Plenty of Dodgers hitters have swooned in June but few more dramatically than Justin Turner, who hit .209 with no homers and eight RBIs in his first 24 games of the month.
But that didn’t shake manager Dave Roberts’ confidence in the veteran third baseman. Roberts kept plugging Turner into the middle of the order because of his ability to produce in the clutch, citing Turner’s 38 RBIs, fourth-most on the team, and .286 average with runners in scoring position entering Thursday night.
Roberts’ faith was rewarded in the opener of a four-game series against the National League West-rival San Diego Padres when Turner hit two home runs, including a tiebreaking two-run shot in the seventh inning, to lead the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory before a sellout crowd of 53,094 in Chavez Ravine.