Pinch-hitter Jason Heyward broke a tie in the eighth inning with a three-run home run, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers come back to win 6-3 against the struggling Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
Heyward hit a high 99 mph fastball from All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz (2-5) over the short wall in right field, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the game. It was his second pinch-hit home run this season and the third of his career.
“It’s hard to get runners on base against a closer and hard to make things happen like that late in the game. It’s nice to be part of the reward for our group,” Heyward said. “Nice swing at the first pitch — he wanted to get ahead.
Nice couple takes and nice job of being ready for another one somewhere near the zone to put a good swing on it.”
Will Smith reached base with one out when he was hit by a pitch, and Max Muncy walked. Tommy Edman then struck out looking, setting up Heyward’s big hit.
“He was ready when called upon and came away with a huge hit. That for me was one of the highlights of the season,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Heyward’s home run.
Muncy and Gavin Lux both hit home runs for the second game in a row. The Dodgers, who lead the NL West and have the best record in the majors at 75-52, have won three straight games and four of their last five.
Joe Kelly (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win, and Daniel Hudson closed the game in the ninth for his 10th save.
Jorge Polanco had two hits and drove in three runs for the Mariners, but they have now lost the first two games of the series and seven of their last eight games on their road trip.
“Came down to be a bullpen game and theirs was better than ours,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “The opportunities were there. We didn’t quite get enough.”
Mookie Betts tied the game at 3 with two outs in the seventh inning with an RBI double down the left-field line off Muñoz, who came into the game with a 1.35 ERA.
Betts tried to give the Dodgers the lead on a single by Teoscar Hernández, but he was thrown out at home plate by right fielder Mitch Haniger while trying to score from second base.
Bryce Miller’s scoreless streak ended at 16 innings when Gavin Lux hit a home run to start the fourth inning, barely missing the glove of Mariners center fielder Victor Robles. Lux has hit seven of his 10 home runs since the All-Star break.
Later in the same inning, Max Muncy hit a high fastball into the Mariners’ bullpen in right field, bringing the Dodgers within one run.
Muncy has homered in both games since returning from the injured list on Monday. He had been out since May 17 with an oblique strain.
Jorge Polanco got both of his hits off Walker Buehler on 1-2 counts. With the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, Polanco hit a sinker into right field for a two-run single.
Polanco then added to the lead in the third inning with an RBI double to left-center.
Buehler, who gave up three runs and seven hits in four innings, has allowed seven runs (six earned) in 7 1/3 innings over two starts since returning from the injured list. He had been out for nearly two months due to right hip inflammation.
The 30-year-old right-hander is 1-4 with a 6.09 ERA in 10 starts this season.
“Made a couple bad pitches. Polanco got me a couple times. I’m so tired of saying that I feel closer, but I think this is as close as I’ve felt to me of old as I have this year,” Buehler said. “I didn’t throw the ball well and our team got us back in the game.”
