Mookie Betts ripped three doubles and a single, and the Dodgers piled up 15 hits in a 10-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Dodger Stadium.
It was the Dodgers' biggest offensive game since July 2 against San Diego, and just two shy of their season high, according to the Los Angeles Times. The win pushed Los Angeles to 95-60.
The Dodgers may also be getting reinforcements soon. Manager Dave Roberts said there is a "good chance" Shohei Ohtani will be activated off the 15-day injured list during the Padres series. Ohtani, sidelined with right biceps and left knee injuries, hit off the Trajekt machine and ran the bases before Saturday's game. He can be reinstated as early as Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Roberts said on Friday, Sept. 18, he hopes to get Ohtani 10 to 12 at-bats before the playoffs begin.
Center fielder Andy Pages, recovering from a fractured left hand, went through a simulated game Saturday and could return as early as Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The Dodgers' bats carried the load against San Francisco because starter Tarik Skubal had his roughest outing in a Dodgers uniform. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline, gave up four runs in five innings. The four runs were the most he has allowed as a Dodger, and the five innings tied his shortest start in a Los Angeles uniform.
"Obviously, I wasn't very good today," Skubal said after the game. "But the offense and defense and bullpen picked me up big time. And that's what good teams do."
He didn't need to wait long for help. Will Smith launched a home run into the left-field pavilion in the third inning, his second in as many nights. Tommy Edman followed with a two-run single in the fifth as the Dodgers sent seven batters to the plate, with all but one reaching base. Rookie Josue De Paula lined a two-run single into shallow center in the sixth.
Giants designated hitter Victor Bericoto provided the biggest blow against Skubal, a 425-foot home run to center field that tied the score in the second inning.
Kyle Tucker made a diving catch in right-center to end the first inning but fouled a pitch off his right knee in the third. Roberts pulled him once the game became a blowout.
"This is the first time, seems like all year, that we've had four or five hitters swing the bats well for four or five games," Roberts said. "So it's been really good to see."
The Dodgers clinched the NL West on Sept. 17 for the 13th time in 14 years. They trail the Milwaukee Brewers by two games for the league's best record and home-field advantage, and lead the Atlanta Braves by four games for the second seed and a first-round bye.
The Dodgers host the Giants on Sunday, Sept. 20, to close the series, then open a three-game set against the Padres on Tuesday, Sept. 22.







