ASTROS DROP THE FINALE
Dodgers hit 3 homers in 6-2 win over Astros
Jul 28, 2024, 7:04 pm
Dodgers defeat the Astros, 6-2. Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images.
Teoscar Hernández hit his 22nd home run, River Ryan struck out eight in his first major league win and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Sunday.
Gavin Lux and James Outman also homered and Shohei Ohtani stole his career-high 27th base for the Dodgers, who came into the game with a 1-7 road record in July.
“That was a good win top to bottom,” Lux said. “To take one from a really good team, obviously avoid the sweep, have some momentum going into the off day. I think we all wanted that one pretty bad.”
With the Dodgers clinging to a 3-2 lead in the eighth, Hernández turned on a slider from Bryan King and sent it 361 feet into the left field seats. Cavan Biggio extended the Dodgers lead with an RBI single to center, scoring Lux, who had walked, to make it 5-2.
Jason Heyward tacked on another run with an RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth, scoring Ohtani.
“We need every bit of it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ”Up and down the lineup we got production. That was a good thing.”
After the first inning, Ryan (1-0) struck out six of the next 10 batters he faced through the fourth. The rookie did not surrender a hit until Jon Singleton doubled off the right field bullpen fence to lead off the sixth inning.
Ryan retired the next two batters on flyballs to center field but had reached his 91st pitch, so Roberts decided to go to the bullpen.
“It was good to see him use that four pitch mix effectively,” Roberts said. “We pushed him. I don't think he's gone more than 74 pitches in his professional career. He was in a good spot and I thought he left it out there. He gave us all he had.”
Ryan gave up one run on two hits and walked three in 5 2/3 innings.
“Unbelievable, it's something you work for your whole life pitching in the big leagues,” Ryan said about his first win. “Fortunately, I was able to come out with a W today.”
Houston's Spencer Arrighetti (4-9) struck out five of the first eight batters he faced. He set down eight straight batters from the second until giving up a solo homer to Outman in the fifth.
“I felt good, try to treat everyone the same way,” Arrighetti said. “Obviously, a full stadium on a Sunday against the Dodgers I’m going to be a little fired up. I was glad it was coming out well.”
Lux continued his hot streak with a 379-foot two-run homer to right field in the sixth. Since the All-Star break, Lux has homered three times and driven in seven runs.
“He's competing real well and playing good ball,” Roberts said.
Arrighetti gave up three runs on four hits, walked two and struck out eight.
Yainer Diaz hit a two-run homer for the Astros in the sixth, but Houston was 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
“Offensively, this guy can get barrel to the ball,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Diaz. “He can hit the ball hard. He's doing a nice job protecting Yordan Alvarez.”
LA's Austin Barnes extended his hit streak to 12 games with a single to left field in the fifth inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (right tricep tightness) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday.
Astros: RHP Jusin Verlander (neck discomfort) and RHP Luis Garcia (right elbow surgery) will both pitch from the game mound on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: RHP Tyler Glasnow (8-6, 3.47 ERA) will face RHP Matt Waldron (6-9, 3.64 ERA) when Los Angeles opens a two-game series against the Padres on Tuesday.
Astros: RHP Jake Bloss (0-1, 6.94 ERA) opposes RHP Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.93 ERA) as Houston opens a three-game home series against the Pirates on Monday.
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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
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