Seven straight wins on their homestand, that’s what the Los Angeles Dodgers delivered, pulling off a massive turnaround after initially stumbling with two losses to the middling Cardinals. This surge comes even as Shohei Ohtani has been placed on the injured list, missing six of the last seven games, and Freddie Freeman has been battling a right knee issue, sitting out two games and designated hitting for another. It was a rough start to the homestand, but man, did they ever figure it out.
Shaking Off The Rust, And The Injuries
Things looked grim early on the homestand. After those initial losses to St. Louis, the Dodgers almost got swept. They hit a brutal 0-for-24 stretch with runners in scoring position over those final two games against the Cardinals. Think about that, zero hits in 24 chances when it really mattered! Freeman’s first-inning home run on September 2 was the only hit with a runner on until the ninth inning of September 3, when Teoscar Hernández finally broke through with a two-run double that turned a deficit into a walk-off win. That was the spark, and everything changed after that nail-biter.
The Bats Exploded, And How!
Following that ugly stretch, the Dodgers’ offense found its swagger, absolutely feasting against the Nationals and Reds, sweeping both teams. They thrived with runners in scoring position, hitting a ridiculous .288/.397/.577 over six games, earning an average of 10.5 plate appearances per contest in those high-leverage situations. This was a stark contrast to their below-average offense for two full months in July and August. Suddenly, they scored 58 runs in nine games on the homestand, averaging 6.4 runs per game, and hit at least five runs in seven of those nine contests. It was a parade of clutch hits, including a three-run home run by Tommy Edman in the seventh inning on Saturday, a Mookie Betts three-run homer in the eighth inning on Sunday, and another three-run blast in the sixth inning by Hernández on Monday. Those first two turned deficits into wins, and Hernández’s Monday shot blew open a close game. Those four three-run home runs, including Freeman’s earlier blast, matched their entire total from August, a month that covered 27 games. Pure power, pure timely hitting.
Teoscar’s Fire and Betts’ Brilliance Light The Way
The offensive explosion capped off with a monstrous 14-1 rout of the Reds in the homestand finale, where the Dodgers piled up nine runs in the first four innings. Talk about a statement! That kind of blowout win has been a hallmark of good teams for them this year, leading the majors with 25 such wins (by five or more runs) through June. But they only had two in July and two in August, so Wednesday’s win was their first of September, and the first time they led by five runs before the eighth inning since August 17. Leading the charge, Teoscar Hernández has absolutely rediscovered his swing, riding a 10-game hitting streak where he’s got 18 hits in 35 at-bats (.514), with six extra-base hits and 14 RBI. He started this heater with a two-run homer in late August against Detroit. And Mookie Betts was just as electric on the homestand, hitting .375/.421/.750 with three homers. With that kind of firepower finally showing up, and the team proving it can win even with key guys banged up, you know every other club in the league just put the Dodgers back on high alert.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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