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Tony Gonsolin had his best start to the season when he hit the eighth inning for the first time in his career on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, leading the Dodgers 5-1 over the Padres.
Gonsolin only allowed four hits and worked around two Jurickson-Profar doubles to leave him stranded. Trent Grisham hit a ball in the box section in right field to tie things in the fifth inning, just the seventh home run Gonsolin allowed in 15 starts.
After the home run, Gonsolin retired his next eight batters until Grisham singled to open the eighth. Manny Machado batted as a potential tie for San Diego, but Gonsolin batted him and did the same to CJ Abrams.
That gave Gonsolin eight strikeouts, but he wasn’t allowed to face Profar a fourth time, instead getting a well-deserved standing ovation on his way back to the Dodgers’ dugout.
Evan Phillips grounded Profar, maintained the lead and helped bring Gonsolin’s ERA down to 1.54, a major league best. And now, with 81⅔ innings in 76 team games, Gonsolin will rank for a little longer.
Dodgers pitchers start 10-0
| jug | Year | beginning | Final record |
|---|---|---|---|
| jug | Year | beginning | Final record |
| Alex Wood | 2017 | 11-0 | 16-3 |
| Larry Franz | 1942 | 10:0 | 15-4 |
| preacher deer | 1951 | 10:0 | 22-3 |
| Don Newcombe | 1955 | 10:0 | 20-5 |
| Ed Roebuck | 1962 | 10:0 | 10-2 |
| Tony Gonsolin | 2022 | 10:0 | open |
Gonsolin’s jewel improved his record to 10-0, only the Dodgers’ sixth pitcher to go unbeaten in a season with that many wins. The best start of this kind was from Alex Wood, who went 11-0 in 2017. Wood finished that year 16-3 and fielded his first All-Star team.
If Gonsolin doesn’t get the same Midsummer Classic news nine days from now, when the All-Star rosters are announced, it’s time for the pitchforks.
Gonsolin needed just 92 pitches to go through his 7⅔ innings, which was fewer than his counterpart, who posted eight fewer outs.
Blake Snell was his typical dominant self against the Dodgers and in his usual compressed way. The Dodgers pitched 107 pitches to Snell to get through five innings and had their chances but managed only one run against him, a home run by Max Muncy in the second inning.
Eight times the Dodgers fought Snell with a runner in goal position, but they never put a ball in play in those situations. They worked three times to extend rallies but also struck five times. Snell hit 12, one shy of his career high but his highest against the Dodgers, continuing a pattern.
Snell has not allowed more than two runs in any of his nine starts against the Dodgers and has a lifetime 1.99 ERA against them, with 62 strikeouts in 40⅔ innings. He only got behind a start against the Dodgers once. He was really bright against them but couldn’t last long in the games either, recording a fifth-inning out in just three of his nine starts against them.
This leaves the Dodgers plenty of time to hay against the pitchers who follow Snell, which they did when they won six of his nine starts. This applies to both the regular season and the postseason, including one particularly famous game you may remember.
Craig Stammen followed Snell and knocked out his first two batsmen in the sixth inning, but then Cody Bellinger broke the game with a solo home run of his own.
keep the faith
This has been a big streak for the Dodgers’ three regulars, who have struggled most offensively this season. When they entered the series, these were their numbers:
- Justin Turner: .634 OPS, 80 wRC+
- Muncy: 612 OPS, 84 wRC+
- Bellinger: .669 OPS, 88wRC+
Despite the relative lack of production, this trio started almost every day. Turner started 68 of 74 games through Wednesday, Bellinger started 66 of the 71 games he was healthy for, and Muncy started 55 of 61 games he was active in.
Manager Dave Roberts was a guest on The Show podcast with The New York Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman earlier this week and spoke about maintaining faith in players who have previously produced for him. Using Turner as a specific example, Roberts explained one reason why he stays with his boys.
“You also have to have a solution,” Roberts said on the podcast. “The way our guys have been swinging the racquet, in terms of consistency, you have to have someone who you think could replace Justin and do a better job.”
The Dodgers’ lack of internal options was particularly evident when Mookie Betts was out with a fractured rib and Edwin Ríos was sidelined until at least August with a hamstring tear. Staying on topic, these three started each of the first two games against the Padres.
And it pays well.
Turner provided the offense with two homers in Thursday’s opener, and homers from Muncy and Bellinger gave their Dodgers their first two runs on Friday. Bellinger also provided a sacrificial fly as part of an insurance-filled eight.
Information for Friday
home runs: Max Muncy (7), Cody Bellinger (11); Trento Grisham (7)
WP — Tony Gonsolin (10-0): 7⅔ IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 8 strikeouts
LP — Craig Stammen (1-1): 1⅔ IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 strikeouts
Next
Tyler Anderson starts for the Dodgers Saturday afternoon (4:15 p.m., Fox, with Joe Davis on the phone) and faces Yu Darvish for the Padres.
