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Dodgers defeat Rays with help from Mookie Betts' two-run homer
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    Dodgers defeat Rays with help from Mookie Betts’ two-run homer

    LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 on Sunday to take the weekend series.

    After Shohei Ohtani was hit on the left forearm by a sinker from Richard Lovelady (3-5), Betts drove the first pitch he saw from the left-hander over the wall in left-center to put the Dodgers back on top. It was Betts’ 13th homer of the season and his third since returning to the lineup after missing nearly two months due to a broken left hand.

    “I was just looking for a strike to swing at. I’ve been getting a lot of strikes, especially early in the count,” Betts said of his first homer at Dodger Stadium since June 2. “I knew it was a double at least, which would have gave us a chance to put one across the board. And so that’s all I really cared about. Just get us a lead and get into the ninth and finish it out.”

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game that scans on Ohtani’s forearm were negative and that he was feeling fine.

    “You always hold your breath. Fortunately, it hit him on the forearm,” Roberts said. “When you start talking about little bones in the hands and things like that four to six weeks at this time of the year is a scary one.”

    Kiké Hernández opened the scoring with his ninth homer in the fifth inning, helping the NL West leaders improve to 5-1 on their nine-game homestand.

    Los Angeles has the majors’ best record at 78-53, but it only has a three-game lead on Arizona in the NL West. Next up for the Dodgers is a three-game series against Baltimore

    “Those other teams are really getting hot, and they’re playing very well, and so it was just important for us to keep playing the game,” Betts said. “We just have to keep being who we are and doing the same things we always do.”

    Blake Treinen (6-3) got three outs for the win after Gavin Stone struck out seven in seven innings for the Dodgers.

    Stone’s only mistake occurred in the seventh, when Jonny DeLuca led off with his fourth homer. The drive to left-center stopped Stone’s 15-inning scoreless streak.

    Anthony Banda worked the ninth for his second save in a game that took just 2 hours, 3 minutes.

    Hernández lined a cutter from Jacob Lopez just over the wall in left-center. Hernández also made an important defensive play in the top half of the inning, robbing Ben Rortvedt with a running catch near the wall in left-center.

    Lopez, who was brought up from Triple-A Durham after scheduled starter Shane Baz could not go due to the flu, allowed two hits and struck out six in five innings.

    “He was outstanding. I was happy for him,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He got in a good spot, had a good rhythm and pitched with confidence.”

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (triceps) will have his first rehab assignment on Wednesday when he is expected to throw two innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. … Manager Dave Roberts said pitcher River Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is at home in North Carolina recovering. Ryan is expected to be back in Los Angeles next week.

    UP NEXT

    Rays: Continue their road trip with a three-game series at Seattle. RHP Ryan Pepiot (7-5, 3.65 ERA), who is 3-0 in his last four starts, takes the mound for Tampa Bay on Monday.

    Dodgers: Begin their series against the Orioles on Tuesday night. RHP Jack Flaherty (10-5, 3.00 ERA) starts the opener for LA. He is 3-0 with a 3.22 ERA in four starts since he was acquired in a trade with Detroit on July 30.

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    In a thrilling matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays, the Dodgers emerged victorious with a 3-1 win, thanks in large part to Mookie Betts’ clutch two-run homer in the sixth inning.

    The game started off as a pitcher’s duel, with both teams struggling to get on the scoreboard. Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw and Rays’ starter Tyler Glasnow were locked in a tight battle, with neither team able to break through until the sixth inning.

    With the game tied at 1-1, Mookie Betts stepped up to the plate with one out and a runner on first. Betts wasted no time, crushing a hanging curveball from Glasnow deep into the left-field stands, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish.

    Betts’ homer not only provided the Dodgers with the lead, but it also energized the team and the fans at Dodger Stadium. The momentum swung in favor of the Dodgers, who were able to shut down the Rays’ offense for the rest of the game.

    In addition to Betts’ heroics, Clayton Kershaw turned in a stellar performance on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing just one run on two hits while striking out eight batters. The Dodgers’ bullpen also came up big, with relievers Blake Treinen and Kenley Jansen combining to shut down the Rays in the final three innings.

    Overall, it was a hard-fought victory for the Dodgers, who now hold a 2-1 series lead over the Rays in the World Series. With Mookie Betts leading the way with his timely hitting and Clayton Kershaw dominating on the mound, the Dodgers are in prime position to capture their first championship since 1988.