Pages’ homer caps 6-run 1st inning as Dodgers defeat Guardians 7-2
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andy Pages hit a two-run homer to cap a six-run first inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-2 on Saturday night in an interleague matchup of division leaders.
Mookie Betts also went deep for the Dodgers, who extended their lead in the NL West to five games over San Diego, which lost 6-3 to San Francisco.
“When you get out and score six, that’s always going to be a good recipe to win a game,” Betts said. “It seemed like they were a pitch or two from getting out of it, but we stood firm.”
Lane Thomas launched a two-run homer for the Guardians in the second. The AL Central leaders fell to 3-2 on their nine-game trip and have a 3 1/2-game lead over second-place Kansas City, which beat Minnesota 4-2.
Tommy Edman had two hits, including a two-run double in the first as Los Angeles sent 10 batters to the plate. Gavin Williams (3-8) became the first Cleveland starter who wasn’t an opener to fail to get out of the first inning since 2021.
Shohei Ohtani grounded out in both his first-inning at-bats and went 0 for 4 to remain at 45 home runs and 46 stolen bases.
Williams allowed five runs on two hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.
“He was overthrowing just a little bit and yanking the ball. Didn’t have the command with the three walks, and then they got to him,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
Brent Honeywell (1-1), the last of seven Dodgers pitchers, got the win.
Williams walked three straight before Edman’s ground-rule double over the short wall in the left-field corner drove in a pair. Gavin Lux’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0 and Miguel Rojas chased Williams with an RBI single down the right-field line.
Pedro Avila replaced Williams and gave up a two-run shot to Pages on a fastball he drove 432 feet into the left-center stands. It was the rookie outfielder’s 10th homer of the season.
The Guardians answered with a pair of runs in the second when Thomas lined a sinker from Michael Grove just over the wall in left-center. Thomas has 10 homers, including two since being acquired from Washington.
Betts extended his hitting streak to seven games and continued his strong September with a solo shot in the fourth. He is batting .450 this month (9 for 20) with two homers and eight RBIs.
Betts has 16 home runs this season, six in 24 games since his return from a broken hand that sidelined him for nearly two months.
Cleveland had other chances to cut into the Dodgers’ lead, but left 10 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the fourth, and was 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.
“It seemed like there were a lot of stressful innings and traffic, but we made pitches when we needed to,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: OF Teoscar Hernández said an MRI and CT scan on his left foot came back negative and he hopes to return to the lineup Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Hernández was hit by a slider from Cleveland’s Matthew Boyd during the first inning Friday.
UP NEXT
Guardians: RHP Tanner Bibee (11-6, 3.56 ERA) is 4-0 in nine day-game starts this season.
Dodgers: RHP Jack Flaherty (11-6, 3.01) has gone 4-1 since being traded from Detroit.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
