The Los Angeles Dodgers answered a season-high five-game losing skid by winning five of their past six games to pad their lead atop the National League West.
The Dodgers will aim to continue their recent good fortune on Tuesday when they begin a six-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Los Angeles has outscored the opposition 27-10 during its last six games, including 8-1 over the last two.
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman each homered in the first inning in the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday in Los Angeles. Betts snapped a 0-for-14 skid by going deep for the first time since May 17, while Freeman homered for just the third time in his last 20 games.
“We needed it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think Mookie’s been really relieved to hit a ball (out of) the ballpark. Freddie, obviously, has been kind of in it for a while. And so for him to go deep (on Sunday) was really good for him.”
Betts’ leadoff homer was the 52nd of his career. He is one shy of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio for fourth place on baseball’s all-time list and two in back of seven-time All-Star Alfonso Soriano.
While Los Angeles is ascending, Pittsburgh fell for the fourth time in six games with a 5-4 setback to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton lamented his team squandering several prime opportunities. Pittsburgh left 13 men on base and went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
“That ended up being the game,” Shelton said. “We left eight guys on in the first (four) innings. We had the ability to capitalize.”
Rowdy Tellez highlighted his three-hit performance by driving in four runs. Tellez is 5-for-13 in his last three starts after going 2-for-31 in his previous 13 games.
“He’s been working hard,” Shelton said of Tellez. “The last homestand, we gave him the three days to work on his swing. I think we’re seeing his timing be more consistent.”
Tellez will look to carry that momentum into an encounter with Los Angeles’ Tyler Glasnow (6-3, 3.04 ERA). Pittsburgh will counter with rookie Jared Jones (3-5, 3.55) in a battle of right-handers.
Signed to a five-year, $136.5 million contract, Glasnow bolted out of the blocks by winning six of his first seven decisions before going 0-2 in his last four starts. Glasnow hasn’t pitched poorly in that stretch, mind you, as he has surrendered just 10 runs on 13 hits in 24 innings.
Glasnow, 30, who was the Pirates’ fifth-round pick in 2011 and played for them from 2016-18, will face his original team for the first time in his career. Likewise, Jones will get his first look at the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Jones, 22, allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits in 4 1/3 innings of an 8-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
“I just didn’t feel good to start the game, really,” Jones said. “I didn’t have a really good bullpen. This is the first really bad start I’ve had since I’ve been up here.”
–Field Level Media
