At the end of a grueling 10-game trek around the country, and in search of their first winning trip this season, the Dodgers got exactly what they needed Sunday afternoon.
A strong start from right-hander Tony Gonsolin. A huge performance from the top of their lineup. And a thorough 8-1 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks, splitting a four-game series at Chase Field this weekend to return home from this week-and-a-half-long trip with a 6-4 record that keeps them in first place in the National League West.
“Really good team win,” manager Dave Roberts said.
In a battle of two former All-Stars on Sunday, Gonsolin outdueled Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen, tossing five scoreless innings to earn his second win in three starts since returning from Tommy John surgery — and a back injury that forced him to miss the first month of the season — this year.
“His delivery looks really good,” Roberts said of Gonsolin, who has a 2.80 ERA in his first three starts this season while looking much closer to the 2022 All-Star version of himself than he did while pitching through his elbow injury in 2023.
“I think that what he's doing right now is signs of 2022,” Roberts added. “You have the experience of a guy that is seasoned [and] really knows what he's capable of.”
Gonsolin faced little stress Sunday, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out four. Only twice did the Diamondbacks (21-20) get a runner in scoring position against him, stranding two runners aboard in the first and third. After that, Gonsolin finished his 84-pitch outing — one shortened given his recent return from injury, and because he was the first Dodgers pitcher this year to make a start on four days’ rest — by retiring six of his final seven batters.
“I'm feeling pretty good,” Gonsolin said, noting that “the shapes and the velos and everything around my stuff have really come around” after spending much of the last two years rehabbing from his Tommy John procedure.
Gallen, on the other hand, had trouble with the Dodgers (27-14) and the three superstars at the top of the their lineup.
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In the first inning, Mookie Betts singled and scored all the way from first on a Freddie Freeman double in the gap. In the fifth, Shohei Ohtani and Betts led with consecutive singles, setting up Freeman for a sacrifice fly and Will Smith for an RBI single through a drawn-in infield.
The next time the top of the order came up, with a runner on third and two out in the sixth, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo went to his bullpen, summoning left-hander Joe Mantiply to face Ohtani. It didn’t work, with Ohtani roping an RBI single to right to make it 4-0. When Mantiply returned to the mound in the seventh, it was Freeman’s turn to tee off, hitting his ninth home run of the year into the Chase Field pool for a 5-0 lead.
In a three-run ninth, Betts tacked on another home run before Freeman completed a four-for-four day with a single, later scoring on Smith’s RBI double.
“It was a long road trip. A lot of late flights, late ‘get-ins.’ And to have a winning road trip, that was good,” Freeman said. “Especially after getting shut out yesterday, to come out and score some runs.”
In all, the Dodgers' Big 3 went nine for 14 with six runs scored and five runs driven in. Freeman’s four hits raised his batting average to .376 and his OPS to 1.171 — both second in the majors, among hitters with 100 at-bats, behind only Aaron Judge.
“Just seeing strikes and hitting them,” Freeman said of his hot start, which has come even with the right ankle he had surgery on this offseason still not 100%. “I wish there was more I could give you. I do the same routine every day, try to hit strikes. And they’re just falling right now.”
Check-ins for Snell, Glasnow
When Blake Snell accompanied the Dodgers on this 10-game trip, the expectation was that he would begin a throwing progression after missing the last month with shoulder inflammation.
But after having the start of his catch play pushed back once last week because he was feeling under the weather, Snell did not play catch as expected Sunday, either, because of continued discomfort in his left throwing shoulder.
“We felt that it was best to let him see our team doc before we make any other moves,” Roberts said.
That check-in with head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache will come Monday, in what had been a pre-scheduled evaluation. Tyler Glasnow, who is also on the injured list with shoulder inflammation but did begin playing catch again this week back in Los Angeles, will have a check-in Monday as well.
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Since first getting hurt, Snell attempted to restart his throwing program once last month, but stopped because of continued shoulder pain. He had one pain-relieving injection after that, but has evidently not improved enough to begin working his way back to action yet.
Asked if his concern with Snell’s injury has risen amid the pitcher’s continued shoulder pain, Roberts was coy.
"I guess I'll know more [after tomorrow],” Roberts said. “I can answer that question more once he sees our team docs."
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.