Dodgers end slump behind Kyle Tucker in win over Astros

HOUSTON –– The Dodgers finally found the ingredients needed to snap out of their recent offensive malaise on Monday.

A hitter-friendly venue, in the form of Houston’s Daikin Park.

A woeful opposing pitching staff, facing an Astros team with the majors’ highest ERA.

And, after a two-week scuffle that had frustrated almost every member of their lineup, some much-needed big swings that keyed an 8-3 victory in the opening game of this week’s series.

“I like where our guys’ heads are at,” manager Dave Roberts said before first pitch. “There is a new sense of revitalization walking around the clubhouse today.”

That energy might have initially picked up on Sunday, when the Dodgers snapped a four-game losing streak with a vibe-shifting win in St. Louis.

It wasn’t until they arrived in Houston, however, that the club snapped a stunning six-game home run drought, rediscovered a relentless identity up and down the batting order, and finally broke out with a complete offensive display –– scoring their most runs since April 25 in a dominant 13-hit display.

The onslaught began in the first inning, when the Dodgers strung together three two-out hits against Astros opener Steven Okert, including an RBI knock from ex-Astros star Kyle Tucker.

Then, with the Astros up 2-1 in the second, it was none other than light-swinging No. 9 hitter Alex Freeland who ended the club’s longest stretch without a homer since 2014. He belted an opposite-field drive into the short Crawford Boxes in left. It would mark the first of seven unanswered runs from the Dodgers (22-13) that helped them pull far and clear away.

The offensive resurgence was also aided by Will Smith, who had three hits, including a go-ahead double later in the second; and Freddie Freeman, who added a pair of RBI singles in the third and fifth.

Tucker followed up his opening-inning knock with the team’s second home run of the evening in the third inning, as well, snapping his own 13-game long ball drought with a scorching line-drive to right.

And Freeland ultimately put together the team’s best all-around performance, reaching safely in four of five plate appearances with two later singles and a walk.

That all gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto plenty of support in an unremarkable six-inning, three-run start, which left his ERA at 3.09. 

It also compensated for another hitless night from Shohei Ohtani, who drew two walks and recorded an RBI by beating out a potential inning-ending double play in the third, but is now 0-for-17 in his last five games.

What it means

Throughout the Dodgers’ recent, both Roberts and his players had repeatedly preached patience and calm.

While the skid was glaring, they framed it as an inevitable ebb in a long season. While their lack of power was jarring, they insisted they were on the verge of heating up.

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Now, the team has some tangible new results to cling to. And for as bad as the last few weeks were, they still rank top-five in the majors in batting average, runs scored and (somewhat amazingly, given they still have just five long balls in their last 13 contests) home runs.

“We don’t really focus on the home runs,” hitting coach Aaron Bates said before the game. It’s more so just … if we impact the ball the way we want to, and we swing at good pitches, then usually the home runs are a byproduct of that.”

On Monday, that was finally the case once again.

Who’s hot

We noted in this space on Sunday that Freeland seemed to be in danger of being sent down once Mookie Betts returns from his oblique injury (which is getting closer, with Betts slated to take live at-bats later this wee).

But then, he turned around and delivered his best game of the season, flashing the potential that helped him earn a spot on the opening day roster to begin with.

Before his second-inning home run, Freeland hadn’t gone deep since the second game of the season. His three hits were also his most since April 7.

He is still only batting .256 on the season, and sporting a below-league-average .688 OPS. However, he also has a .343 average since April 19.

Maybe the team’s roster decision when Betts returns won’t be so easy, after all.

Who’s not

The Astros –– in what will be music to Dodgers fans’ ears.

With Monday’s loss, Houston is now 14-22, plummeting toward the bottom of the American League standings despite owning a top-10 payroll, and watching their decade-long window of contention finally begin to slam in their face.

This era of Astros success, of course, was kicked off by their controversial, trash-can-cheating 2017 title team, which knocked off the Dodgers in that year’s World Series.

For years, that storyline that had fueled frustration within the Dodgers’ organization.

But now, at least Roberts said Monday that he has “gotten past it.”

“Our fan base has feelings about them. Their fan base has feelings about us,” he said. 

But, he added that, “honestly, I don’t put too much thought into it,” before noting that the Dodgers’ three recent championships have “certainly helped” him reframe his perspective.

Up next

Coming off his Pitcher of the Month award for March/April, Ohtani (2-1, 0.60 ERA) will be back on the mound Tuesday –– and in the lineup as designated hitter, with the Dodgers electing to use him in a full two-way role after having him only pitch in two of his last three starts.