Lux sparks bottom of the order, Betts belts deciding homer
By: Rowan Kavner
Tags: Dodgers, Mookie Betts, Postgame, MLB, Gavin Lux

(Photo by Carrie Giordano/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Rowan Kavner

The Dodgers were looking for more production from the bottom of their lineup. Gavin Lux, recalled before the weekend series against the Padres, provided the spark.

In their previous five games this week, the seven, eight and nine hitters in the Dodger lineup combined for two hits. Lux, batting from the №8 spot Saturday against the Padres, produced two of the Dodgers’ four hits while leadoff hitter Mookie Betts delivered the deciding blow with a go-ahead three-run home run in the fifth inning of a 5–4 win against the Padres.

“I was really happy for Gavin,” said manager Dave Roberts. “He’s been working so hard.”

The bottom of the Dodger lineup came through in the third inning to start the scoring.

Lux, who was making his second straight start in left field with Chris Taylor still out battling a neck issue, went the other way on an RBI double that scored Cody Bellinger from first base after left fielder Tommy Pham slightly overran Lux’s hit. Productive at-bats followed when Walker Buehler laid down a sacrifice bunt and Betts brought Lux home on a sacrifice fly.

Every run scored would be crucial, including Betts’ 20th home run of the season two innings later.

All four hits on the night came courtesy of Lux and Betts, who is settling back into the leadoff spot of the Dodger lineup after spending most of the last two weeks in the three-hole. Betts’ ability to work counts played into that decision, but he wasted no time on his first home run of the month swatting out the first pitch he saw from reliever Craig Stammen in the fifth inning.

Again, it was the bottom of the Dodger lineup setting the scene.

Padres starter Chris Paddack got two quick outs to begin the inning when Lux singled and Buehler drew a four-pitch walk.

“When kind of collectively we’re not swinging the bats like we’re going to, to have some length and have guys take at-bats and earn a walk, get some hits, keep the line moving, it’s helpful,” Roberts said. “Those guys picked us up tonight.”

With the Dodger lineup turning over for a third time, the Padres called on Stammen to try to finish the inning. Betts, who drove in four of the Dodgers’ five runs on the night, sent a sinker down the middle 382 feet for a homer.

“I knew I needed to be ready to swing,” he said. “If you fall behind someone like him, you get yourself in a little trouble.”

The hit gave Walker Buehler a 5–2 lead. The Dodger starter and Cy Young Award candidate bounced back from his shortest outing of the season — a three-inning, six-run defeat in San Francisco — by allowing two runs in seven innings to the Padres. The only damage came on a two-run homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth inning.

The process getting over his last outing was somewhere between dissecting what went wrong and simply throwing out the anomaly. His start against the Giants was only the second time in 28 starts this year that he went fewer than six innings. It was the only time he went fewer than five.

On Saturday, he got back on track. While it wasn’t his most overpowering stuff — he struck out five and got eight swings and misses — the quality start was enough to earn his 14th win of the year.

“You give it a once over and you watch it and then kind of bury it and never watch it again,” Buehler said. “I think for me I’m pretty proud of the year I’ve had so far and that was kind of the one that has changed the whole thing. For me, it’s getting back to what I‘ve been doing and what I’ve been doing well and kind of treat that as an outlier but also as a way to keep getting better in some way.”

The victory remained in the balance after Buehler’s departure.

Blake Treinen, after throwing 25 pitches the night prior, was called upon to protect the three-run lead in the eighth inning. He hit Adam Frazier with a pitch then allowed run-scoring singles to Manny Machado and Tatis, snapping a streak of nine straight scoreless outings for the Dodger reliever.

After Treinen recorded his first out of the inning, Roberts handed the ball to Joe Kelly with the tying run at third base. The right-hander responded with strikeouts of Wil Myers and Pham to extinguish the threat, giving Kelly his sixth straight scoreless appearance to start September.

Kenley Jansen, pitching for the third straight day, needed only eight pitches to put the Padres down in order in the ninth.

“It talks to the depth of the team,” Buehler said. “Obviously Blake has been unbelievable for us all year. For Joe to come in, pick him up, is huge for us. Obviously when Joe Kelly’s healthy, he’s pretty electric.”

Quick Hits:

· Danny Duffy is unlikely to return this season after he was unable to finish his bullpen session Friday, according to Roberts.

· Roberts said Taylor is unlikely to play Sunday with his neck issue still bothering him.