The Los Angeles Dodgers watched a pair of newcomers pave the way as right-hander Lance Lynn went seven innings in his debut with the club and Enrique Hernandez delivered a three-run double in a 7-3 victory against the visiting Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.
Lynn, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox last week, gave up three runs on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to become the first Los Angeles starter to go seven innings since Clayton Kershaw on June 20.
Mookie Betts hit a home run and Chris Taylor walked four times for the Dodgers, who won the series opener after going 2-4 with a pair of series losses against the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds to begin a nine-game homestand.
Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker and Jordan Diaz all exposed Lynn’s greatest weakness while hitting solo home runs for the A’s. Lynn has given up a major-league-leading 31 home runs this season.
A’s left-hander Ken Waldichuk (2-7) did not give up a hit over the first three innings before the Dodgers started to get their offensive bearings in the fourth.
Freddie Freeman singled, and Max Muncy and Taylor walked to load the bases. James Outman was hit by a pitch to bring home Los Angeles’ first run. Tayler Scott replaced Waldichuk, and Hernandez greeted him with his bases-clearing double off the left field wall in his fifth game since returning to his former club.
Lynn (7-9) cruised through the first five innings before giving up Gelof’s fourth home run of the season with one out in the sixth.
Rooker hit his 18th home run of the season in the seventh, and Diaz added his seventh two batters later to bring Oakland within 4-3.
Betts’ home run in the seventh inning was his 28th of the season and first since July 15. Outman walked with the bases later in the inning for his second RBI without the aid of a hit. Freeman contributed an RBI single in the eighth for a four-run advantage.
–Field Level Media
