The Los Angeles Dodgers will aim for their fourth consecutive series win on Sunday when they conclude their three-game set against the host Kansas City Royals.
The Dodgers matched their season high with seven extra-base hits in a 9-3 rout of the Royals on Friday. Los Angeles hitters have rounded into form, led by All-Star Mookie Betts, who announced Friday that he would participate in the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle.
The announcement was met with good-natured skepticism from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who said: “I don’t think he’s gonna fare too well.”
“I don’t think I like my chances either,” Betts responded. “But we’ll see how it goes.”
Betts made provided immediate optimism in Friday’s game at Kansas City. He went deep in each of his first two at-bats, including a 422-foot blast to lead off the game — his 25th leadoff home run in 3 1/2 seasons for Los Angeles and his ninth leadoff homer of this season.
Betts has 22 homers and 56 RBIs in 2023 and is batting .271.
“My mom’s here, so I had to let her know,” Betts said. “When I told my mom (about participating in the Derby), she wasn’t too thrilled. She told me, ‘I didn’t raise you to come in last.’ I don’t think she’s a huge fan of seeing her son lose.”
Betts and the Dodgers haven’t been losing much lately, winning seven of nine contests before Saturday’s 6-4 setback to the Royals. Betts has five homers and 13 RBIs over his past eight games.
“He’s a game performer,” Roberts said. “I could be proven wrong, but as long as he keeps hitting homers for us, I’ll take that.”
Right-handers Tony Gonsolin (4-2, 3.30 ERA) and Brady Singer (4-7, 5.88) will square off in the series finale Sunday for Los Angeles and Kansas City, respectively.
Gonsolin allowed four runs on five hits — including two homers — over five innings in a no-decision against the Houston Astros in his most recent start last Sunday.
He won his only start against Kansas City on Aug. 12 of last year, surrendering one run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings. Current Royals’ hitters are hitless in 15 combined at-bats against Gonsolin.
Singer struck out seven while allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings in his lone start against the Dodgers on Aug. 14 of last year. Jason Heyward is 2-for-2 with a homer against Singer while other current Dodgers have one hit and six strikeouts in 13 combined at-bats.
Singer had lost three consecutive starts before tossing six scoreless innings against the Cleveland Guardians in his most recent outing on Tuesday.
Kansas City has gone six games without a home run, its longest drought since an eight-game streak from May 11-19, 2019. The last time the Royals went deep was June 23 when Salvador Perez homered in the third inning against the Tampa Bays.
A win in Sunday afternoon’s rubber match would give the Royals their first series win since May 15-17 and their first victory in a home set since taking three of four from the Chicago White Sox on May 8-11. They’ve lost 10 of 12 series with two splits, the second longest stretch in franchise history without a series win.
–Field Level Media
