With three home runs, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 in the second game of their four-game series.
Shortstop Mookie Betts set the tone hitting a homer on his first at bat. Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani slugged an RBI homerun in the third and right fielder Jason Heyward sealed the fate of the Reds with an RBI homer of his own.
The contest marked the first time Heyward has been in the lineup since late March due to a back injury.
“It was good to get [Heyward] back, got hit by a pitch, the homer right there was big and made a splash tonight,” said Dodgers general manager Dave Roberts. “It’s good to get [Heyward] back in there, contributed big time.”
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Heyward expressed his frustrations with not being able to travel with the team and having to watch games on TV, he also noted how happy he is to be back. Returning to the lineup means to be ready to adapt.
With three home runs, the Dodgers defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 pic.twitter.com/aPCqfCTV1C
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) May 18, 2024
“I don’t think there’s such thing as ready or not, I think it’s another thing to have an amazing rehab stint and come back and still have to adjust, it’s still a different game,” Heyward said.
Betts made key plays at shortstop, including two double plays in the early innings and helping get two consecutive batters out during the eighth. However, he committed a throwing error during the fourth inning, allowing Reds second baseman Johnathan India to score their first run of the night.
“Making errors really bothers me,” Betts said. “It didn’t just affect me, it affects [pitcher James Paxton] going in having to throw 10-12 more pitches.”
Along with the two-run homer, Ohtani scored on an RBI single by catcher Will Smith. He did not have the same level of success on Thursday, which was his Bobblehead night.
Dodgers starter James Paxton pitched for 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out two batters.
“I didn’t totally have my best stuff tonight,” Paxton said. “We had double plays that were huge in the early innings.”
The Dodgers will battle the Reds on Saturday at 6:10pm.
