LOS ANGELES — The return of Mookie Betts was supposed to be the spark. Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the series opener to the San Francisco Giants 9-3 Monday night at Dodger Stadium, a result that knocked them out of first place in the NL West by a half-game behind San Diego.
Betts, activated earlier in the day after missing over five weeks with a right oblique strain, went 1-for-5 with a single in his first game back since April 4. The night belonged to the Giants, who snapped a seven-game road losing streak and scored nine runs against a Dodgers bullpen that fell apart in the late innings.
Roki Shows Flashes, Then Fades
Roki Sasaki gave the Dodgers a chance early but couldn’t hold the lead. Rafael Devers opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning, his fifth of the year, to put San Francisco up 1-0. Los Angeles responded with two runs in the fourth on a Max Muncy RBI single that scored Freddie Freeman and an Andy Pages groundout that plated Kyle Tucker, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 edge.
The lead didn’t last. Sasaki ran into trouble in the sixth when a Heliot Ramos double scored Casey Schmitt and Devers, putting San Francisco back on top 3-2. Sasaki was pulled after the damage was done, finishing with five full innings, six hits, three earned runs and five strikeouts. Encouraging signs were there, but the second time through the order cost him again.
The Bullpen Lets It Slip Away
Muncy tied things at three with a solo homer off Trevor McDonald in the bottom of the sixth, his 11th of the season. But the rally was short-lived. In the seventh, Alex Vesia couldn’t hold the line, allowing three hits and a walk before Will Klein inherited the mess. By the time the inning was over, San Francisco led 6-3. The Giants poured on three more in the ninth, with Adames delivering another single and a Chapman walk capping the damage before a Rodriguez groundout closed it at 9-3. Los Angeles went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight, a telling sign of how stagnant the offense was beyond Muncy’s solo shot.
Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, his struggles at the plate continuing deep into May. He is now hitless in 19 of 37 games with a plate appearance this season, a troubling stretch for a four-time MVP who entered the year with enormous expectations.
What’s Next
The Dodgers (24-17) will look to bounce back Tuesday night with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound against Giants right-hander Adrian Houser. San Francisco sends one of the worst starters in the league to the hill, giving Los Angeles a prime opportunity to even the series before Shohei Ohtani takes the ball Wednesday.
Betts is expected to get playing time in both Tuesday and Wednesday’s games before a planned day off Thursday. The Dodgers need him to rediscover his form quickly. Monday night showed just how much ground they have to make up even when their lineup is whole.