Dodgers Highlights: L.A. Pounds Corbin Burnes to Defeat Brewers
For the second time in three days, the Dodgers put a whoopin’ on a Cy Young-caliber pitcher, handing Corbin Burnes and the Brewers a 10-1 loss.
After scoring six runs in 3.2 innings against Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins on Sunday, the Dodgers knocked Burnes out of the game with the same stat line tonight, although Milwaukee reliever Brent Suter allowed a seventh run on Burnes’ ledger.
The real baseball game ended in a 7-1 score, after which the Dodgers tacked on three eighth-inning runs against Brewers catcher-turned-pitcher Victor Caratini. Hanser Alberto pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the Dodgers, extending his own major-league record with his fifth appearance as a position-player-pitching in a game his team won.
Tony Gonsolin picked up the win, improving his record to 16-1 and keeping his chances of a 20-win season very much alive.
Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwin! #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/zMaQA288KO
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 24, 2022
Mookie plays catalyst
Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first for the Dodgers, and as has been the case more and more often the second half of the season, he was aggressive. He fouled off the first pitch, then ripped the second pitch 109 MPH down the left-field line for a leadoff double.
After a Trea Turner groundout moved Mookie to third, Freddie Freeman singled to right to get the Dodgers on the board against the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
In the top of the second, with a runner on third and two outs, Betts made an outstanding catch on a line drive by Luis Urias to end the inning and preserve the lead. Just Mookie making an early impact on both sides of the ball.
They call him Mookie but we call him Superman. pic.twitter.com/RT8CMkXFrw
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 24, 2022
“10 PM Trayce” shows up early
Trayce Thompson wasn’t in the original version of the starting lineup, but when Gavin Lux was scratched with a neck issue, Thompson was inserted as the DH in the ninth spot in the order. He ended up going 2-for-3 and knocking in a career-high four runs.
Trayce’s first at-bat came with two outs in the bottom of the second inning and two runners on base, and he made the most of it. Corbin Burnes threw a 2-2 cutter that was supposed to be on the outside corner, but it leaked back over the middle of the plate. Thompson made him pay, hitting the ball 108.4 MPH off the bat and depositing it 423 feet away in the left-field bleachers.
The home run was Thompson’s sixth since rejoining the Dodgers in late June. With the RBI single he tacked on later to help knock Burnes out of the game, Thompson now has 25 RBIs in 135 plate appearances, a pace for well over 100 in a full season. Nearly half of his RBIs have come in the seventh inning or later, but these three came early in a huge situation.
Trayce homer? That Burnes, huh? pic.twitter.com/xUNpKTEiGB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 24, 2022
Tony Smokes remains outstanding
Gonsolin allowed one run in five innings, lowering his league-leading ERA to 2.10. He allowed just three hits and two walks, striking out three.
Gonsolin threw just 77 pitches, but with a 7-1 lead and some relievers who needed some work, manager Dave Roberts chose to save some bullets. As Joe Davis pointed out on the broadcast, Gonsolin is right around his career high in innings, set in the minor leagues back in 2018. With at least seven starts left in the regular season and then hopefully a full month of the postseason, the Dodgers are mindful of his workload, and with the big lead and the Brewers barely even threatening until the fifth, this shortened outing almost had the feel of a bullpen session for Gonsolin more than a start against a playoff contender.
Trea and Freddie keep racing
Freddie Freeman came into the game leading the league in hits, holding a narrow one-hit lead over his teammate Trea Turner. Turner wants that lead, though, and he put up a three-hit game.
So did Freeman. Both guys went 3-for-5, combining to drive in six runs, and Freddie leaves the game still holding a one-hit lead over Trea.
Up next
The Dodgers will go for the series win — both this series, which is tied 1-1, and the season series, which is 3-3 — on Wednesday evening, with Andrew Heaney going up against Adrian Houser. Make note of the earlier start time, as the game will be at 6:00 PM instead of the usual 7:10.
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