Inconsistent on offense to close out the first half of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers at least have figured out how to hit in the clutch lately.
After rallying to two wins, Los Angeles will look to record a three-game series sweep of the visiting Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.
The Dodgers won Friday’s series opener 4-1 on the strength of Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in the eighth inning. Los Angeles had two hits over the first seven innings.
On Saturday, the Dodgers needed a game-tying home run from Enrique Hernandez in the ninth inning and his game-tying single in the 10th.
Los Angeles posted a 7-6 win on Saturday after Will Smith’s game-ending RBI single with the bases loaded in the 11th inning.
“We played two really tough games, and I think these tougher games are the ones that say a lot about a team,” Hernandez said. “Hopefully, these are the types of games that we need to take off as a team and not look back.”
After a pair of rookies in Gavin Stone and Justin Wrobleski started the first two games of the series, the Dodgers will turn to veteran left-hander James Paxton (7-2, 4.38 ERA) on Sunday. Paxton, who made 19 starts for the Red Sox last season, is 6-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 10 career starts against Boston.
It has been an injury-plagued season for the Los Angeles rotation, but the 35-year-old Paxton has proven to be indispensable. While he has pitched to a 7.13 ERA in his last four starts, the Dodgers ended up winning three of those games.
More pitching help is coming later in the week, with Tyler Glasnow (back tightness) set to come off the injured list Wednesday and Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) set to make his season debut Thursday.
“If they need me now, I’ll be ready,” Kershaw told the Los Angeles Times.
The Red Sox squandered late leads in both games of the current series. They have not been able to extend their productive run from the end of the first half of the season when they won 10 of their last 13 games.
Jarren Duran and Tyler O’Neill have done their part. Duran belted a homer on Friday and a two-run double on Saturday. O’Neill went deep twice on Saturday, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th inning before the Dodgers rallied.
The issue has not been with the Red Sox starters. Nick Pivetta went six scoreless innings on Friday and Brayan Bello gave up three runs and left with the lead after six innings on Saturday.
Next up for Boston is right-hander Kutter Crawford (6-7, 3.04), who has a 2.35 ERA in nine road starts. Crawford is 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA in three July starts, including consecutive scoreless outings in each of his last two trips to the mound.
“I don’t get caught up in the stats and all that — we look at the numbers and I know he’s been solid in every aspect, throwing strikes and the stuff and all that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I look up and the ERA is down and the WHIP is down. … Just posting every five days and giving us a chance to win.”
Crawford had a start against the Dodgers last season and gave up two runs on four hits over five innings in a no-decision.
–Field Level Media
