By ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled in the go-ahead runs with two outs in the eighth inning, Will Smith homered three times, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied past the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-5, on Friday night, July 5, in a matchup of NL division leaders.
“What a night!” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani struck out three times on his 30th birthday and is 0 for 11 — including six consecutive punchouts — since the second inning of Wednesday’s loss against Arizona.
But he moved two runners into scoring position with a groundout to first with the game tied 5-5 in the eighth. Miguel Vargas singled off Brewers reliever Elvis Peguero (5-3), who walked Chris Taylor and Smith to load the bases.
Freeman singled to center, scoring Vargas and Taylor for a 7-5 lead. Teoscar Hernández followed with a double to left to make it 8-5.
“Credit to the Dodgers, credit to Freddie,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s done it in the clutch so many times.”
Daniel Hudson (6-1) got the win in relief and Evan Phillips struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 14th save.
Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins hit a grand slam in the fourth, but the Dodgers avoided their third loss in a row.
Smith became the fourth catcher in Dodgers history to have a three-homer game, the first of his career. His third homer, off reliever Bryan Hudson, tied the game 5-all in the seventh.
“Going to right-center field, then to go to left field and then hit one off the foul pole, really impressive,” Roberts said. “He’s just so consistent and he just doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves as being one of the top two catchers in the game.”
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow opened with three perfect innings and then five of the next six batters reached base. Willy Adames drove in the Brewers’ first run with an opposite-field single. Glasnow then walked Garrett Mitchell to load the bases and set up Hoskins’ second slam of the season.
“Tyler was great all night outside of that inning,” Roberts said.
A fan caught the ball right above the glove of center fielder Andy Pages. It happened so quickly that the baserunners didn’t immediately react and the umpires didn’t signal either. The fan threw the ball back onto the field and the Brewers took a 5-2 lead.
“The timing was a little weird, not executing and falling behind,” Glasnow said of his lone poor inning.
Glasnow retired the side in four of the first five innings. It would have been five of six innings but second baseman Gavin Lux bobbled a grounder by Mitchell for an error with two outs in the sixth.
“He called a really good game,” Glasnow said of Smith. “The offense obviously helped and is the reason we won.”
The Dodgers closed to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth on Vargas’ two-run homer.
They led 2-0 on solo shots by Smith off starter Aaron Civale, making his Brewers debut two days after being acquired from Tampa Bay.
“He’s been quietly one of the engines that run the ship over there that’s been pretty successful,” Murphy said of Smith.
The other Dodgers catchers to hit three home runs in one game are Yasmani Grandal (2016), as well as Hall of Famers Mike Piazza (1996) and Roy Campanella (1950). Smith now has 14 homers this season.
“Those are obviously really good catchers,” Smith said. “Just to be mentioned is humbling.”
Civale allowed four runs and five hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out eight and walked three.
Glasnow gave up five runs and three hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
