The vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers roster lived up to the hype, at least for their first two Spring Training games. They’ve outscored their intra-state rivals, the San Diego Padres, 18-2, including a 14-1 victory to open the spring games.
During their first encounter, the Dodgers opened up the scoring with eight first-inning runs and never looked back. Teoscar Hernandez’s double brought Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor home for a 2-0 lead. Likewise, Chris Owings’ double extended the lead to 4-0, driving Hernandez and James Outman home.
Andy Pages’ single brought Owings and Gavin Lux home. Kevin Padlo closes the first-inning scoring with a two-run home run. The Dodgers had another monster inning in the sixth, scoring six runs to arrive at their final score. Los Angeles had 12 hits and 14 RBIs in 38 at-bats.
Meanwhile, the Padres got their only run off a Jake Cronenworth home run. They had seven hits and 12 strikeouts in 33 at-bats.
While the second game was much closer, the Dodgers still won 4-1. Freddie Freeman started the scoring with a first-pitch solo home run in the first inning. He made a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth, bringing Jose Ramos home for a 3-1 count.
On the first pitch he sees in #SpringTraining, Freddie Freeman goes yard. pic.twitter.com/uzwJLycunU
— MLB (@MLB) February 23, 2024
Dalton Rushing’s sacrifice fly on the bottom of the second, and Chris Okey’s single helped deliver two more runs for Los Angeles. The Dodgers had nine hits, while the Padres had three.
In other games, the defending World Series champions Texas Rangers defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-4. The Chicago Cubs dominated their cross-town rivals, the Chicago White Sox, 8-1. The Colorado Rockies beat the defending National League champions Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Northeastern University Huskies 7-2. Finally, the Minnesota Twins outclassed the Minnesota Golden Gophers 13-2.
-Lance Fernandez