Sunday, June 2, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
Under the marine layer at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, the Dodger used a complete team effort to end a short homestand. Mookie Betts opened the game with a solo home run. Gavin Lux didn’t dominate in his five innings, but he didn’t allow a run. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-to-0.
Sunday was Lou Gehrig’s Day across Major League Baseball. While Gehrig was a fabulous player, first-ballot Hall of Famer, he was diagnosed with ALS which ended his career. At 39, on June 2, 1941, Gehrig died of the still incurable disease that leaves its victims paralyzed and helpless. Even now a person with ALS has an average life span of five years. Baseball has been touched by ALS when Catfish Hunter died of the horrible disease. Now, Sarah Langs, a baseball writer and an excellent baseball researcher, is battling the disease.
Bobby Miller will make a start in Oklahoma City. The Dodger head trainer isn’t worried about Miller’s health. The Dodgers will activate Miller soon. Max Muncy was taking grounders on Sunday but is limited with baseball activities. Muncy probably will return to the lineup in late June. The Dodgers miss his offensive production in the middle of the lineup.
Gavin Stone, the biggest surprise in the Dodger starting rotation during the 2024 season, with two outs in the first, walked a batter but hurled a scoreless inning.
Mookie Betts opened the game with a home run. Freddie Freeman homered. Andy Pages singled, and Miguel Rojas walked. The Dodgers stranded the runners.
Kris Bryant singled opening the second inning. Stone retired the next three batters.
Miguel Vargas opened the second inning with a single. Austin Barnes had a swinging bunt to move Vargas to second base. The Dodgers left Vargas.
In the third, despite allowing a single, Stone faced the minimum.
In the third, Freddie Freeman walked and stole second. Pages walked. Rojas singled in Freeman. No one scored.
In the fourth, after walking Bryant, Stone hurled a scoreless inning.
Betts walked in the fourth and didn’t score.
Pitching on regular rest, Stone pitched five innings with traffic. Michael Grove relieved Stone and pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
In the sixth, Austin Barnes, Shohei Ohtani, and Freeman walked to load the bases. The Dodgers stranded all the runners.
Grove continued pitching in the seventh and hurled a perfect inning.
Offensively, the Dodgers did nothing in the seventh.
Alex Vesia hurled a perfect eighth.
Jason Heyward singled to open the eighth, Austin Barnes singled, Betts’ foul out moved Heyward to third, and Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Freeman’s sac fly scored Heyward.
Daniel Hudson pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the victory.
The weekend began poorly for the Dodgers, but the Dodgers rebounded to take the series from the lowly Rockies. The Dodgers return to the East Coast to play the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees.
