Justin Turner and Austin Barnes homered and right-hander Walker Buehler struck out 10 in six innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers notched a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Arlington, Texas, to take a 2-1 lead in the World Series.
Max Muncy went 2-for-4 with a two-run single while Turner and Mookie Betts each went 2-for-5. Betts stole two bases, giving him four thefts in the series.
Turner’s blast was his 11th postseason homer with the Dodgers, tying the franchise record held by Hall of Famer Duke Snider. Friday’s game was Turner’s 69th playoff game in seven seasons with the club. Snider played in 36 postseason games, all in the World Series, during his 16 years (1947-62) with the organization.
Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena clubbed his eighth homer of the playoffs in the ninth inning to match the all-time record for a single postseason. Barry Bonds (2002), Carlos Beltran (2004) and Nelson Cruz (2011) also hit eight in a postseason.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Saturday night.
Buehler (1-0) gave up one run, three hits and one walk before being removed after throwing 93 pitches. Three right-handed relievers followed. Blake Treinen struck out two in a perfect seventh, Brusdar Graterol threw seven pitches in a flawless eighth, and Kenley Jansen allowed Arozarena’s blast before getting the final out.
Rays right-hander Charlie Morton (0-1) was roughed up for five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.
The Dodgers got started with two outs in the top of the first inning when Turner slammed Morton’s fastball 397 feet over the fence in left.
Los Angeles added two runs in the third inning, an uprising that began with two outs when Corey Seager was hit by a pitch on the right foot. Turner followed with a double into the left field corner, and Muncy came up and ripped a two-run single to center to make it 3-0.
Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson singled to give the Dodgers runners on first and third with one out in the fourth. Barnes pushed a run across with a stellar safety squeeze bunt to make it 4-0, and Betts followed with a run-scoring single to center.
Buehler held the Rays without a hit for 4 1/3 innings until Manuel Margot laced a double inside the third base line. One out later, Willy Adames ripped a double into the left field corner to get Tampa Bay on the board.
Barnes got the run back with two outs in the top of the sixth inning when he jumped on an 0-2 slider from right-hander John Curtiss and hit a 425-foot homer to left-center to make it 6-1.
–Field Level Media
