Coming off an emphatic 6-4 comeback win fueled by Gavin Lux on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked to keep their momentum going against the Seattle Mariners.
Julio Urías retired the Mariners’ first 13 batters, pitching seven impressive innings surrendering two-hits, Matt Beaty drove in three runs and Max Muncy had a two-run homer while the Dodgers routed the Mariners 7-1, sweeping the two-set series Wednesday night at Chavez Ravine.
Los Angeles improved to (20-17) on the season and won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.
“You look at Gavin coming on, Matt Beaty coming on, it just adds that length to the lineup,” said Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts. “You mix that with good pitching, good defense, what Max has done consistently and the guys in the middle of the order, you’re going to have scoring opportunities, and all around we’re playing much better.
After allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings and striking out only four batters in a tough performance against the Angels, redemption was on the mind of the Dodgers starting pitcher.
Urias (5-1) had six strikeouts against the Mariners and now leads the Majors with recording one or no runs allowed, having done so four times already this year.
“It was part of the preparation to come out here and do exactly what I did,” Urías said through a translator. “You try to attack. That’s what great pitchers do well. They attack and get ahead, and that’s what I was focused on doing myself.”
“I just thought he cruised through that game,” Roberts said of Urias’ performance. “Something was brewing through that fourth inning. You smelled it a little bit.”
Mariners’ right-hander Justin Dunn (1-1) gave up three hits, two runs and unraveled in the fourth after falling behind 2-0. Beaty doubled to right, Turner scored and Muncy scored.
“They’re the World Series champions for a reason,” Dunn said. “One through nine, they’re a good lineup. They do a really good job picking out what they want to hit. … I don’t think I threw the ball terrible, (but) they make you pay when you fall behind counts and get in their counts.”
Ty France singled with one out in the fifth for Seattle (18-19) and soon came around to score on a Dylan Moore single, cutting their deficit to 2-1.
However, Muncy then right away gave the Dodgers a commanding 4-1 lead with a two-run homer (415 feet) in the fifth, going yard for a second consecutive night.
The Dodgers continued to get on base from there, including another RBI hit for Beaty and an RBI single from Lux.
AJ Pollock centered in the seventh and sent Muncy home, ultimately giving Los Angeles its largest lead of the game at 7-1.
“We have too good of talent to see guys continue to struggle collectively,” said Roberts. “It’s nice to come out of it and put some wins together. It’s just a sign of our club playing good baseball.”
“I think the energy, the vibes, everything has been good,” Pollock said. “We’re confident. There’s frustration when you’re losing games, but there’s a real belief that it’s gonna turn, and we’re gonna get back on that winning streak.”
Up next and with a day of rest, Clayton Kershaw (5-3) will open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Friday at 7:10 P.M.
