The Los Angeles Dodgers came to Toronto and made a statement. They battered the Blue Jays 14-2 on Monday night at Rogers Centre, sending a clear message to the rest of baseball.
Five home runs. Seventeen hits. No mercy.
It was the first time the two sides had met since last autumn’s dramatic World Series. The Dodgers won that one too, claiming Game 7 in 11 innings right here in Toronto. Monday felt like a reminder of exactly who holds the power in this rivalry.
Rushing Steals the Show
Dalton Rushing was the story of the night. The catcher blasted two solo home runs — his first career multihomer game. He went 4 for 4 and also scored after taking a hit by pitch. That is a completely offensive performance by any measure.
Rushing launched his first homer off Tommy Nance on the very first pitch of the seventh inning. He then went deep again off Spencer Miles in the eighth. Both shots came when the game was already well in hand, but Rushing showed no interest in easing off.
Freeman, Hernández and Ohtani Pile On
Teoscar Hernández got things started early. He hit a two-run homer off Max Scherzer in the first inning, putting Los Angeles ahead immediately. Hernández finished the night 2 for 5 with a walk and four runs batted in.
Freddie Freeman followed with a massive 438-foot two-run blast off Josh Fleming in the third. He went 2 for 4 with a walk and drove in three runs. Then came Shohei Ohtani. The superstar hit a solo shot off Joe Mantiply in the sixth — his third home run in four games.
Kyle Tucker also had a strong night. He scored three times and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Andy Pages chipped in with two hits, including a two-run double. This was a full team effort with the bat.
Scherzer Struggles, Blue Jays Slide
Toronto’s night started badly and got worse. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer lasted just two innings. The 41-year-old gave up two runs and two hits, walking one and striking out two before being pulled. It was not the performance Toronto needed.
The Blue Jays have now lost five games in a row. They sit at 4-6 on the season and are struggling to find any rhythm. Their pitching staff allowed 17 hits on the night — a damaging statistic at any level of the game.
Toronto catcher Tyler Heineman came on to pitch the ninth inning. He retired the side in order. That was the only clean inning the Blue Jays managed all night.
Wrobleski Solid on Return
Justin Wrobleski made his first start of the season for Los Angeles and delivered. The left-hander held Toronto to one run and two hits across five innings. He picks up the win and moves to 1-0 on the year.
The Dodgers improve to 8-2. They have won four straight and are coming off a three-game sweep of Washington, where they scored 31 runs. This team is in frightening form right now.
Chasing History
The stakes for this Dodgers side go beyond individual games. Los Angeles is attempting to win three consecutive World Series titles. The last team to achieve that feat was the New York Yankees, who completed their three-peat back in 2000. The Dodgers are well on their way to being part of that conversation.
Attendance at Rogers Centre on Monday was 40,991. The three-game interleague series continues on Tuesday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 3.00 ERA) taking the mound for Los Angeles against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (0-0, 0.75 ERA).
