Tony Gonsolin delivered five shutout innings and Freddie Freeman continued his torrid pace at the plate with a perfect 4-for-4 performance, as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 on Sunday afternoon. The win allowed the Dodgers to split their four-game series at Chase Field and regain first place in the National League West.
The Dodgers entered the series finale as slight road favorites, with most sportsbooks listing them at around -120 on the moneyline. The Diamondbacks were priced near even money. The run total was projected at 9.5, which Los Angeles approached largely as they produced a season-high 18 hits and controlled the game from start to finish.
Making his third start of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, Gonsolin continued to provide valuable innings for a Dodgers rotation that injuries to key starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have hampered. The right-hander threw 84 pitches, striking out four while allowing only two walks and no runs across five frames. His effort improved his record to 2-0, lowering his earned run average to 2.81.
Freeman once again served as the offensive catalyst for Los Angeles. The first baseman raised his National League-leading batting average to .376 with a double in the first inning that drove in Mookie Betts for the game’s opening run. He added another double in the third inning, a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and a solo home run off Joe Mantiply in the seventh for his ninth long ball of the season. Freeman capped off his day with a single in the ninth inning against José Castillo, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Betts also had a standout game, scoring twice and hitting his sixth home run in the ninth inning. Will Smith contributed with an RBI single in the fourth, and the Dodgers steadily built their lead throughout the game, scoring in five separate innings.
Arizona starter Zac Gallen allowed 10 hits and four runs over five and one-third innings. He walked two and struck out five, falling to 3-5 on the season. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen provided little relief. José Castillo gave up a pair of late home runs and committed three balks during his two innings, an unusual occurrence that highlighted a rough outing. The major league record for balks in a single game is five.
The lone highlight for the Diamondbacks came in the seventh inning when José Herrera doubled to score Alec Thomas, cutting into a 4-0 Dodgers lead. However, Arizona failed to mount any additional offense against Los Angeles reliever Ben Casparius and the rest of the bullpen.
With the win and San Diego’s loss to Colorado, the Dodgers moved back into first place in the division by one game. On Tuesday, Los Angeles heads home to begin a series against the Oakland Athletics. Rookie right-hander Landon Knack is scheduled to start, entering with a 2-0 record and a 4.61 ERA. The Diamondbacks will travel to San Francisco to face the Giants, where Merrill Kelly is slated to pitch against veteran right-hander Justin Verlander.
