The Los Angeles Dodgers executed their second win of their three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Their 10 hits and three home runs gave the Boys in Blue a 5-3 victory over the Brewers on Saturday.
Lefty James Paxton made three strikeouts but allowed four hits in five innings.
“I don’t have quite the stuff that I used to; I used to get to 98, don’t really have that in the tank,” Paxton said. “It’s frustrating but I’m out there battling and trying to do my best out there for my team.”
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani made two hits, one being a home run in the matchup.
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The Brewers reached the scoreboard first when shortstop Willy Adames hit an RBI single in the first. The Dodgers responded with an RBI homerun by catcher Will Smith. First baseman Freddie Freeman and left fielder Teoscar Hernández made hits which led up to right fielder Andy Pages hitting a sacrifice RBI.
The Dodgers went into the second inning with a 3-1 lead. A homer by first baseman Rhys Hoskins would bring the Brewers within one in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers loaded the bases but could not score.
Down two outs in the sixth, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit a triple but Will Smith could not make a hit.
The bats of both teams warmed up in the eighth inning. Brewers Christian Yelich hit a dinger past centerfield to tie the game at three. Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux was subbed out for Miguel Vargas who came up to bat first in the eighth.
On the third pitch, Vargas hit a homer deep into left center field, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Dodgers general manager Dave Roberts noted how “his mechanics are in a good spot.”
“He was ready, prepared. Even with the first foul ball, he was ready to hit it coming off the bench,” Roberts said about Vargas. “It’s just confidence, gaining more confidence each day and he’ll be in there tomorrow and he’s earning more opportunities.”
Two batters later, Ohtani slugged a home run into center field, pegging the Dodgers’ run count at five. He got walked three times in earlier innings with the triple being his first hit of the day.
“I felt like he was gonna be able to reset himself and took a couple of walks, got the ball in the zone and he was back to being [Ohtani],” Roberts said. “I think for him, just simplifying where he’s good in the strike zone, then the natural ability takes over and I’ve never seen really anything like it recently.”
With a 55-35 overall record, the Dodgers are second in the national league and three games ahead of the NL Central-leading Brewers. The Boys in Blue look to sweep their series with the Brewers when they battle them on Sunday at 1:10pm
