Shohei Ohtani launched his first homer of the night, while Max Muncy sported a historically significant belt.
However, it was the Seattle Mariners who capitalized on the warm summer night in Chavez Ravine, smacking five homers and edging past the Dodgers 7-6.
The evening began with a pleasant enough temperature of 77 degrees, but the conditions turned out to be quite the slugging affair, as the ball soared into center field thanks to a slight breeze.
The Dodgers got off to a quick start with Ohtani’s leadoff home run in the first inning, breaking a nine-game drought for the team and giving them an early lead.
Following that, the Mariners stunned Justin Wroblewski with three homers over three consecutive innings. In the fifth, Muncy hit a solo shot, tying Eric Karros for the all-time home run record at Dodger Stadium, yet despite leading 5-4, the Dodgers couldn’t maintain their advantage.
Wroblewski achieved his career-high fourth home run in the sixth inning, matching Dominick Canzone’s five-run display.
Canzone returned in the eighth frame, making a decisive hit against relief pitcher Alex Beshear, scoring two runs and breaking a 5-5 tie.
Although the Dodgers had their fair share of opportunities, they struggled to capitalize. In the third inning, they loaded the bases with no outs, but a double play by Freddie Freeman resulted in only one run crossing the plate.
Later, in the fourth inning, while chasing two runs, the Dodgers sent eight batters to the plate but failed to score more, even as third base coach Dino Ebel attempted to send a runner home after an RBI from Ohtani loaded the bases again.
In the ninth inning, Dalton Rushing led off with an infield hit, and Ohtani’s double pushed him to third with no outs. Though Muncy walked and stole second, Mookie Betts grounded out, leaving yet another chance squandered.
The five home runs the Dodgers surrendered tied their season high, with Wroblewski particularly struggling—it was his roughest outing since May. He acknowledged the need to adapt better to the hitting strategy the Mariners employed.
What it means
The Dodgers’ pitching woes became evident, especially with Wroblewski’s rough outing. He pointed out how crucial it was to get the ball in the zone, but too often, fastballs ended up above the strike zone, leading to extra-base hits.
Who is hot
After a stretch without a home run at Dodger Stadium since May 31, Max Muncy was in a better groove lately, finally matching Kalos’ record with his fifth-inning homer. He’s had a resurgence after the All-Star break, hitting three home runs since then and consistently performing well.
With 21 home runs this season, he trails only Ohtani on the team. Notably, Muncy reached his record-tying milestone much quicker than Kalos, needing 516 games compared to Kalos’ 798.
With a couple of years left on his contract, Muncy has ample time to extend his lead on the leaderboard, provided Ohtani doesn’t catch up first.
Who is not?
Concerns linger about Ohtani’s knee impacting his swing, as he had struggled recently with a mere seven hits in 38 at-bats. Thankfully, he appeared to find his rhythm with a strong performance during the game, marked by key hits and runs.
However, he revealed after the game that he’s also coping with biceps issues, which may complicate his ongoing injury challenges.
To the next
The Dodgers aim to recover as they face Emerson Hancock on Wednesday, with Eric Lauer set to pitch for them.
