September Dodgers Log: Kershaw passes Drysdale, Freeman and Betts make history, Dodgers win series vs. Tigers and Giants for final homestand of 2023

Volume 19: Issue 2

J.D. Martinez had a big night, leading LA to an 8-3 win over his former team, the Detroit Tigers. Before the game, the Dodgers honored Miguel Cabrera and held a pregame ceremony for the legend, who will retire at the end of the season. J.D. got LA on the board with an opposite-field home run in the 1st to put LA up 1-0. After a 12-pitch AB, Will Smith got a sac-fly to make it a 2-0 game. J.D. broke the game open with a 3-run moonshot in the 3rd to put LA up 5-0. After the lead was cut to 2, KIke drove in a run on a single in the 6th. LA scored two more in the 8th on Miguel Rojas’ 5th homer of the season, and an RBI single from J.D. Freddie Freeman also stole his 20th base of the season. Lance Lynn pitched 5 solid innings with 6 Ks and LA won the 1st game, 8-3. -9/18/23

The Dodgers came back from down 2-0 to walk off the Tigers. After falling behind 2-0, J.D. Martinez cut the lead in half with a solo shot in the 4th. Brusdar Graterol came on the mound and pitched a scoreless inning, but this wasn’t just any ordinary outing. Brusdar’s mother watched him pitch for the 1st time, after seven years of living apart. David Peralta tied the game in the 8th with a double. In the bottom of the 9th, Max Muncy gave the Dodgers their 6th walk-off win of the season, with a walk-off RBI single. LA won the game, 3-2. -9/19/23

The Dodgers unfortunately dropped the finale to the Tigers, 4-2. It was a quiet night for the offense, who managed to put up just 3 hits. Jame Outman did make a nice diving catch with the bases loaded to prevent a bases-clearing double in the 3rd. Max Muncy did tie his career-high home run total with his 36th homer of the season. Bobby Miller pitched a solid game, throwing 6 innings with 7 strikeouts, allowing just 2 runs. LA will now take on the Giants for a four game set. -9/20/23

The Dodgers got another victory, this time over their rival, the San Francisco Giants. Emmet Sheehan has looked to solidify his spot in the Dodgers rotation, pitching 4 ⅔ hitless innings, with 9 strikeouts. Sheehan became the first pitcher in the modern era with at least four no-hit innings in back-to-back starts against the same opponent. The Dodgers managed to score 7 runs. 2 runs crossed on sac flies, and another 2 came in on wild pitches. J.D. Martinez homered for the 4th time in his last four games. The Dodgers scored 2 more in the 8th on singles from Martinez and Taylor. The Dodgers won the first game, 7-2. -9/21/23

The Dodgers offense was shut down by the Giants in the 2nd game. Freddie Freeman did get his 200th hit of the season in the 1st inning, becoming the first 1st baseman in MLB History with 200 hits, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in a single season. The Dodgers lost the second game, 5-1. -9/22/23

Clayton Kershaw might have made his final start against the Giants at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw pitched 5 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts, good enough to secure his 210th career win. Kershaw is now secondnd All-Time in Dodger history with 210 wins. The Dodgers offense picked up the slack, scoring 7 runs. J.D. Martinez drove in 3 runs on a home run and 2 run double. Muncy singled in a run, Freeman hit an RBI double, and Mookie Betts broke the game open in the 8th with a 2-run double. Betts broke the single-season record for most RBIs with 105, in a single season by a leadoff hitter. The Dodgers shut out the Giants, winning the game, 7-0, and have clinched a first-round bye in the Postseason. -9/23/23‘

The Dodgers capped off the 2023 home finale with a walk-off win over the Giants. James Outman got the Dodgers on the board with a 2-run homer in the 2nd. Lance Lynn pitched 6 innings with 6 strikeouts but gave up a game-tying 2-run homer to Lamonte Wade Jr. With the teams tied at 2 in the 10th, Chris Taylor came through in the clutch with a walk-off RBI single! The Dodgers won the series 3-1, and the game, 3-2. -9/24/23

Betts, Muncy, Freeman, Martinez make history, cap off the 100 Win season on the road vs. Rockies and Giants, 9/26-10/1/23

The Dodgers struggled to muster up any offense in the first game of the two game doubleheader at Coors Field. Ryan Pepiot fired 6 innings with 9 strikeouts, allowing just 1 run. Heyward scored on a wild pitch. LA dropped game 1, 4-1. Game 1 – 9/26/23

The Dodgers exploded for 11 runs in the 2nd game of the series despite giving Mookie Betts the night off. The Dodgers had a 5-run 2nd inning. Peralta scored 2 on a single, Rosario hit an RBI single, and Chris Taylor hit a 2-run single. A sac-fly from Kike and a single from Kolten Wong extended the lead to 7 in the 5th. In the 6th, Freddie Freeman launched his 27th homer of the season to make it 9-1. Will Smith hit a sac fly in the 7th, and Max Muncy drove in a run in the 9th on a single. Bobby Miller fired 7 innings with a career-high 9 strikeouts as LA cruised to an 11-2 win. The Dodgers split the doubleheader with the Rockies, 1-1. Game 2 – 9/26/23

The Dodgers offense continued its hot stretch with another dominant performance. The offense scored 8 runs. James Outman launched his 23rd homer of the season to get LA on the board in the 3rd. With the game tied at 1, the Dodgers scored 3 runs in the 5th to take a 4-1 lead. Peralta and Betts each singled in a run, and Will Smith hit a sac fly. In the 8th, Miguel Rojas hit an RBI single, and Freddie Freeman broke the game open, crushing home run number 28 this season. Freeman drove in 3, and joined Betts and Muncy with his 100th RBI, as the three Dodgers with 100 plus runs batted in. Emmet Sheehan pitched 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs while striking out 10. The Dodgers won, 8-2. The Dodgers have also clinched 2nd place in the National League with the 2nd best record, and will face the winner of the Brewers and the number 6 seed in the NLDS. -9/27/23

The Dodgers dropped the final game of the series to the Rockies, splitting the four game series in Colorado. LA gave up 14 runs. J.D. Martinez did hit a 2-run homer in the 1st, joining Betts, Muncy, and Freeman with a 100 RBI mark.  It’s the first time in team history that four players have reached the 100 RBI mark in the same season. Kike Hernandez also went deep. The Dodgers lost, 14-5. -9/28/23

The Dodgers slugged their way to a 6-2 win over the Giants. Will Smith, who has been struggling since the All-Star break, went deep in the 1st to put LA up 2-0. Freddie Freeman homered for the 29th time this season. J.D. Martinez broke the game open with a 3-run homer in the 6th, and the Dodgers won the opener in San Francisco. -9/29/23

LA lost the 2nd game of the series. The Dodgers scored just 1 run. Trailing by 1 in the 5th, Mookie Betts tied the game with an RBI single. Clayton Kershaw allowed just 2 runs, striking out 5, going 5 ⅓ innings. LA lost the 2nd game, 2-1. -9/30/23

The Dodgers capped off the season with a series win over the Giants. The Dodgers had a 5-run 6th inning to take the series. Amed Rosario and James Outman hit RBI singles, and Kike Hernandez broke the game open with a 3-run home run. The Dodgers won the game, 5-2, and finished the season with 100 wins. The Dodgers will get 5 days off before taking on the winner of the Brewers, Diamondbacks, Wild Card Series. -10/1/23

Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times