True Blue LA - July 7: Dodgers 5, Cubs 3Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2022-07-07T22:08:23-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/229654202022-07-07T22:08:23-07:002022-07-07T22:08:23-07:00Dodgers home runs back another great Gonsolin start
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<p>Mookie Betts hits two of LA’s four homers to beat Cubs</p> <p id="DYLVIZ">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> turned on the power on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, hitting four home runs to make the load Leiter for pitcher Tony Gonsolin, who provided more consistent excellence on the mound in a 5-3 win over the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>.</p>
<p id="p4rTeS">Mookie Betts started the scoring in the first inning with his second home run in his last three games, on the eve of <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2022/6/30/23189677/mookie-betts-trea-turner-all-star-game-vote-phase-2-starting-lineup-dodger-stadium">likely being announced as a starter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1545078780653338625">in the outfield for the National League All-Stars</a>. Betts since returning from the injured list on Sunday has at least one hit all five games, and he’s driven in a run in his last four contests.</p>
<p id="wUD6LH">Betts also got hit on his left hand by an 88-mph two-seam fastball in the fifth, which provided a scare and quick examination near the Dodgers dugout by team trainer Thomas Albert. But Betts remained in the game, and added another home run, this one off reliever Michael Rucker in the eighth. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two homer night? Call it Mookie magic. <a href="https://t.co/4yp8tJN33u">pic.twitter.com/4yp8tJN33u</a></p>— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1545265003233611776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a>
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<p id="RIsVUZ">Betts leads the Dodgers with 20 home runs.</p>
<p id="sAK4Lh">Gavin Lux hit a two-run shot off Cubs starter Mark Leiter Jr. in the second inning, and Justin Turner his a solo shot to center in the fourth, the third home run of the game against Leiter.</p>
<p id="yjO4hM">Turner continued his hot streak of late, reaching base in his last nine games. Dating back to June 21, Turner is hitting .400/.438/.673 with four home runs, three doubles, and 11 RBI in 16 games.</p>
<p id="KTyu8W">The Dodgers are 13-2 when the homer at least three times in a game this season. Gonsolin improved to 11-0 with yet another superb start.</p>
<p id="qlsR54">Christopher Morel’s two-run home run in the fifth got the Cubs off the schneid, but was notable for being the first home run all season against Gonsolin with anyone on base. Opponents this season against Gonsolin with runners on base have just nine hits in 99 at-bats (.091).</p>
<p id="ISGOgP">It was just the third inning this season in which Gonsolin has allowed multiple runs. He’s started 90 innings this season, and 77 of them have been scoreless. Thursday marked just the fifth start out of 16 this year that Gonsolin has allowed more than one run <em>in a game</em>.</p>
<p id="vA8SFE">After the home run by Morel, Gonsolin didn’t allow any other Cubs to reach base, retiring his final seven batters to get through seven innings for the second start in a row. His MLB-best ERA <em>ballooned</em> from 1.54 all the way up to 1.62 with this start.</p>
<p id="dGhn9t">Gonsolin has yet to walk a batter in July, lasting at least seven innings in both starts this month, after pitching that deep only once in his first 49 career games.</p>
<h3 id="RmR2vK">Bullpen woes</h3>
<p id="6C00tr">Brusdar Graterol relieved Gonsolin in the eighth, but left after just four pitches and one out, walking off the field with team trainers with what the team said was right side soreness. </p>
<p id="gIPUv7">Staked to a three-run lead in the ninth, Craig Kimbrel struck out the first two batters in the ninth, but then allowed a single and double to allow a run, the latter a bloop to right field likely influenced by Betts’ prescriptive reticence on defense while still recovering from a broken rib. </p>
<p id="6atd7C">A walk to Patrick Wisdom put the tying run on base and ended Kimbrel’s night after two outs and a season-high 31 pitches.</p>
<p id="mbdWJ9">Alex Vesia came to the rescue, striking out Nelson Velásquez looking to end the game and secure his first save of the season, and second in his career. Vesia is the fifth Dodgers pitcher to record a save this season, and the third LA pitcher not named Kimbrel to earn a save in the last four games.</p>
<h3 id="Yx7x55">Thursday particulars</h3>
<p id="KngAMt"><strong>Home runs</strong>: Mookie Betts 2 (20), Gavin Lux (3), Justin Turner (8); Christopher Morel (9)</p>
<p id="xPWbPy"><strong>WP — Tony Gonsolin (11-0)</strong>: 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 strikeouts</p>
<p id="CYly8t"><strong>LP — Mark Leiter Jr. (2-3)</strong>: 5 IP, 4 hits, 4 runs, 4 strikeouts</p>
<p id="TfSydC"><strong>Sv — Alex Vesia (1)</strong>: ⅓ IP, 1 strikeout</p>
<h3 id="6TOK9I">Up next</h3>
<p id="CViSLf">Tyler Anderson gets the call on Friday night (7:10 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), with right-hander Keegan Thompson starting for Chicago.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2022/7/7/23199684/dodgers-home-runs-tony-gonsolin-excellent-cubs-recapEric Stephen2022-07-07T18:55:00-07:002022-07-07T18:55:00-07:00Dodgers vs. Cubs Game IV chat
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<figcaption>Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="vfoAcu">After achieving the Jon Bon Jovi point on Wednesday, the season now halfway there, the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> start the actual second half on Thursday night by hosting the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> at Dodger Stadium.</p>
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<h3 id="CU3Z0C">Game info</h3>
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<li id="wzUlJS">Teams: Dodgers (52-29) vs. Cubs (34-48)</li>
<li id="O5ynJS">Pitchers: Tony Gonsolin vs. Mark Leiter Jr.</li>
<li id="g8HEKw">Location: Dodger Stadium</li>
<li id="BYbLUY">Time: 7:10 p.m. PT</li>
<li id="LhRUSe">TV: SportsNet LA</li>
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https://www.truebluela.com/2022/7/7/23197160/dodgers-cubs-game-chatEric Stephen2022-07-07T12:22:12-07:002022-07-07T12:22:12-07:00Dodgers host Cubs for four games
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<figcaption>Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers and Cubs get set for four in LA</p> <p id="3HOf4q">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> welcome the<a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/"> Cubs</a> for a four-game set at Dodger Stadium. This series will wrap up an 11-game homestand for the NL West leaders before they get on the road to head into the All-Star break.</p>
<p id="NvyPgE">If history is any indicator, the Cubs aren’t necessarily looking forward to this trip out west. Since the combined no-hitter started by Zack Davies on June 24th of last year, the Cubs are 0-6 against the Dodgers with a average victory margin of 4.5 runs.</p>
<p id="YjwHkd">Earlier in the year, the Dodgers traveled to Wrigley Field and unceremoniously swept the Cubs with respective 7-0, 6-2, and 7-1 wins. The Cubbies have fared particularly bad against the NL West with a 7-14 record in those games while the Dodgers have an 11-5 campaign against NL Central opponents.</p>
<p id="48iLO6">What both of these teams have in common is their inability to win games that go to extra innings. It’s been a well-documented problem for the Dodgers going further back than just last season, going 1-5 in those games in 2022, while the Cubs have won three out of 11 in such affairs.</p>
<p id="xpSV5h">The Cubs will come to LA without their veteran starter, Kyle Hendricks, who was scheduled to pitch on Thursday. While the Dodgers recently suffered the loss of Chris Taylor, also going to the IL with a stress fracture on his right foot.</p>
<p id="3avQ5K">However, on a more positive note, Seiya Suzuki was recently activated following a stint on the injured list, and it looks like the Cubs right-fielder hasn’t skipped a beat, hitting an inside-the-park home run on Monday to break a tie in the top of the ninth inning, off Josh Hader.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Seiya Suzuki’s inside-the-park HR is the first by the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> since Javier Báez on Aug. 7, 2017 at the Giants: <a href="https://t.co/uLRVPCVNnZ">pic.twitter.com/uLRVPCVNnZ</a></p>— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Montemurro/status/1544091216530243584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a>
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<h2 id="niqnsG">Pitching matchups</h2>
<h3 id="hJf39S">Thursday, 7:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA)</h3>
<p id="DDrbLT"><em>Tony Gonsolin vs Mark Leiter Jr.</em></p>
<p id="7fnAN2">Tony Gonsolin takes the hill in search of his league-leading eleventh win, and maintenance of his masterful 1.54 ERA. On the visiting side, the Cubs will send out Mark Leiter Jr. who made a comeback to the majors after having last pitched in 2018, in the big leagues.</p>
<p id="H08IsV">Gonsolin faces the Cubs for the first time this season. The Dodgers’ righty has only one start in his career against the Cubs, he went four innings allowing only one hit and earned run against them in the regular season last year.</p>
<p id="QnQ5yB">Leiter Jr. also has one start in his career facing the Dodgers, it was a quality start that came in September of 2017. The Dodgers won that game 5-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies with the help of a couple of solo homers from Curtis Granderson and Andre Ethier.</p>
<aside id="XzzSR7"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Odds: Dodgers are -265 favorites to win the series opener, per DraftKings","url":"https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/baseball/88670847?wpcid=181974&wpcn=Inarticle&wpcrid=MLB&wpsrc=VoxMedia"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="QJVSPU">Friday, 7:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA)</h3>
<p id="w54k6c"><em>Probables: Tyler Anderson vs Keegan Thompson</em></p>
<p id="yU71R4">Anderson much like the rest of the Dodgers rotation will be very appreciative of Ryan Pepiot’s efforts on Tuesday against Colorado. That start allowed the Dodgers to give each rotation member an extra day of rest in this run of play with no off-days.</p>
<p id="rf0cZ7">Anderson will be pushing 100 innings by the all-star break, as he’s currently at 84⅓, the second-highest mark on the team behind Julio Urías, and Anderson still has a couple more starts left including this one.</p>
<p id="FiBMLG">The winning pitcher of that middle game in Wrigley earlier in the year, Anderson goes up against Keegan Thompson, who also hasn’t faced the Dodgers this year, a common theme in this series. The track record and name recognition may not be the best for the Cubs’ starters in this series, but they’ll look to explore a lack of familiarity with their stuff on the Dodgers’ end.</p>
<h3 id="m73ViW">Saturday, 7:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)</h3>
<p id="7AMYMX"><em>Probables: Clayton Kershaw vs Marcus Stroman</em></p>
<p id="8qEiKH">A statement that can be made about any National League team at this point, Kershaw has ample experience against the Cubs, and although Wrigley Field hasn’t been his favorite stadium, the future hall of fame has fared much better against the Cubs in Dodger Stadium and will look to improve on that 2.75 ERA against the Cubs in Saturday’s game.</p>
<p id="bu0f0i">The big pitching acquisition of the Cubs’ 2022 offseason, Marcus Stroman, will look to find his footing in a season derailed by injuries in which he has an ERA over five in nine starts. Stroman has a 2.77 ERA in his previous two outings versus the Dodgers.</p>
<p id="P2UHmN">There’s been a big narrative surrounding the fact that Will Smith, arguably the best catcher in baseball doesn’t have an all-star when in all honesty he only really had one shot, last year. Dodgers fans will get to see the reason why Smith won’t be behind the plate for the NL in this year’s all-star game. Willson Contreras is having a remarkable campaign with a 147 OPS+ in his walk year, he’s likely to play all four of these games splitting time between catcher and DH.</p>
<h3 id="MgL1A4">Sunday, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)</h3>
<p id="vxwfVM"><em>Probables: Julio Urías vs Drew Smyly</em></p>
<p id="ENLTlq">A couple of former highly-touted lefty prospects go toe to toe for the finale of this series. Julio Urías hopes to maintain his record above .500, as the former 20 game-winner continues to experience the other end of the spectrum when it comes to run support.</p>
<p id="jbyVYN">Drew Smyly to a completely different degree, has also pitched better than his 2-5 record would indicate. The former Rays' top prospect has a 3.80 ERA in 42⅔ innings pitched and will take a second crack at a win against the Dodgers in 2022, Smyly gave up a couple of earned runs over four and a third earlier in the year against the Dodgers.</p>
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https://www.truebluela.com/2022/7/7/23197361/los-angeles-dodgers-chicago-cubs-series-previewEstevão Maximo