The Seattle Mariners hope they have found their identity again, and all it took was five home runs on a single night against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers to get there.
A season high in homers, including two from Dominic Canzone, was just enough for a 7-6 series-opening victory on Tuesday. The middle contest of the three-game road set is scheduled for Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
A welcome sight was Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez each hitting a home run in the same game for just the second time this season. Rob Refsnyder returned from a month away because of a knee injury and also went deep.
“Playing in this type of game can be something that you look back at the end of the year, and that was a point in the season maybe where we got it rolling,” Raleigh said. “But at the same time, we’ve got to go out there and do it again.”
All that offense helped the Mariners end a 12-game losing streak to the Dodgers dating back to 2021. It was their first victory at Los Angeles since 2009.
Hoping to get a boost from the offense Wednesday will be right-hander Emerson Hancock (6-4, 3.16 ERA), who has yet to face the Dodgers in four major league seasons.
On a roster full of stars, Dodgers left-hander Eric Lauer is proving to be a player his team can’t live without.
Added by Los Angeles seemingly as a fill-in piece in late May after he was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays, Lauer (5-5, 4.83 ERA) has started eight times for his new team — and they have won all eight. He is set to pitch again Wednesday.
Lauer is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Mariners.
The Dodgers received home runs of their own from Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy, but they left the tying run at third base with nobody out in the ninth inning as Mariners right-hander Andres Munoz finished off his 19th save.
The Dodgers welcomed back Enrique Hernandez (oblique) from the injured list Tuesday and will activate right-handed closer Edwin Diaz (elbow) from the IL on Wednesday. Also making progress in their recovery from injuries are left-hander Blake Snell, right-hander Tyler Glasnow and catcher Will Smith.
“The roster is certainly starting to become whole,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s just good to get back home and get back into this routine of being at home. So excited about seeing a team we haven’t seen for quite some time.”
Diaz is expected to slot right back in the closer’s spot. He made seven appearances early in the season and struggled to a 10.50 ERA but did have four saves in five chances.
“Getting him back in the mix is gonna be fun for all of us,” Roberts said.
Ohtani had three hits Tuesday and drove in a run with all three. His productive game came while playing with knee and biceps injuries that have halted his pitching schedule indefinitely.
“My bicep is not 100%,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after Tuesday’s game. “Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”
–Field Level Media
