CHAVEZ RAVINE — The Los Angeles Dodgers can beat you in a lot of different ways. On Opening Night, they put an eight-spot on the board and looked like they could score anytime, anywhere. On Saturday, they had a little power flurry early, but had to rely on good old team baseball to eke out a run in the bottom of the eighth, which scored when new Dodger Kyle Tucker drove in Alex Freeland with the go-ahead run. The 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks shows just how hard it will be to sink your teeth into this team in 2026. They’re too good. They lineup is too long. And they’ve got too may ways to beat you.

Arizona Strikes First, but Great D Limits Damage

The game started with Sheehan looking very good indeed, striking out the side, with a big assist from the Dodgers’ first ever ABS challenge. Will Smith pulled the trigger on a high changeup from Sheehan that just kissed the top of the zone. Success! And now we all have an answer to a trivia question.

The second inning didn’t go nearly as well for Sheehan. It started with a Gabriel Moreno single and a walk to Pavin Smith and Sheehan was in a two-on, nobody-out jam. He got a strikeout and a pop up, and for a second it looked like he might get out the inning unscathed. However, that hope was quickly extinguished when Team Mexico WBC hero Alek Thomas ripped a double into the right field corner. It scored the first run of the game easily, but a great throw and relay by Kyle Tucker and Alex Freeland cut down Pavin Smith at the plate to end the threat and end the inning.

Return of the Mook

The D-backs would get another run of Sheehan in the third on a solo homer off the bat of Ketel Marte, and just like on Opening Day, the Dodgers found themselves in an 0-2 hole. However, just like on Opening Day, the Dodgers responded with a four run inning to take the lead. Alex Freeland, the controversial pick for the final roster spot, quieted the doubters temporarily with a solo jack to right to cut the D-back lead in half. Then, the fabled “Dodgers Grind You Down” strategy went into effect. Shohei Ohtani worked a walk. Then, Kyle Tucker did the same on eight pitches.

That brought up Mookie Betts, who at this time last year was barely in the lineup because he was battling some mysterious weight loss and illness. However, that was then, and this is now. Betts got an 0-1 four-seamer on the outer half of the plate and then, in a beautiful piece of hitting, went with the pitch for a three-run homer to the opposite field. You could feel Dodger Stadium rise as one as Mookie rounded the bases full of emotion, fists pumping in the air. That felt good. More of this please.

Alek Thomas Ties It Up

However, the Dodgers didn’t have long to rest on their laurels. In the next inning, a leadoff walk and a one-out double from Carlos Santana ended Emmet Sheehan’s night. He’d have to watch from the bench as Jack Dreyer came in and served up a hanging slider to Alek Thomas, who once again banged it into the corner to drive in two more to tie the game. That closed the book on Sheehan, who once again had his moments, but didn’t deliver the clean outing that we’re used to seeing from him. His line for the night: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Some good stuff to build on there, but in the end couldn’t keep the D-backs off the scoreboard.

Luckily, the D-backs ran themselves into another out on the bases when Thomas overslid third base, and Dreyer finished the inning with no further damage. Still, the game was back to square one, knotted at four runs apiece.

Quiet Time

Then, the game went into the deep freeze. Arizona got some traffic that had to be pitched around, but the Dodgers got nothing. Four innings of nothing. But on the pitching side, Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, Tanner Scott, and Alex Vesia teamed up to keep the game tied. Vesia’s scoreless inning was especially meainingful as it was his first inning back on the mound since the tragic death of his daughter. As he came off the mound in the eighth, Dodger Stadium rose as one to give their fan favorite an ovation.

Scratching One Across

Then, the sequence that proves why this team is such a tough out, no matter how the game is going. In the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers, this juggernaut offense, practically played small ball. Alex Freeland (remember him? The guy who doesn’t deserve to be on the team) led off with a double.

He was followed by that pesky contact hitter Shohei Ohtani. He didn’t have a great at-bat, as he fell behind relief pitcher Kevin Ginkel. However, he did what he needed to do. He put the ball in play, grounding out to the right side to move Freeland to third.

Now, the defense had to respond. They brought the infield in, making what happened next almost inevitable. New Dodger Kyle Tucker ripped a single through the drawn-in infield, and suddenly the Dodgers were back on top 5-4.

Shutting the Door

Cue Timmy Trumpet! It was Edwin Diaz time, as he was tasked for the first time this season to save the ball game. The inning started well, with a strikeout of Carlos Santana. However, Diaz got a little cute and walked Alek Thomas with one out. Thomas stole second, and it was nail-biting time.

With the tying run in scoring position, Diaz had to bear down. And bear down he did. He struck out Jordan Lawlar. Then, three pitches later, the game was over. A Ketel Marte groundout to Mookie Betts for a 6-3 putout to end the game.

Forget Timmy Trumpet. Cue Randy Newman!

Next Up: Glasnow Takes Center Stage

One more game with the Diamondbacks in this series, and the pitching matchup in the finale should be a dandy. WBC hero and Dodger refusenik Eduardo Rodriguez will get on the mound versus the Dodger pitcher that has dazzled all spring: Tyler Glasnow. Coming off a masterful warm-up against the Angels, Glas will be looking to start the season off right on Saturday. With a good lefty on the mound for the Diamondbacks, Glasnow will have to keep runs at a minimum, something he knows a little something about. Plus, it’s Will Smith Bobblehed Nights. So, yay. Game Time on Saturday is an hour early: 6:10 PDT, so adjust your viewing plans accordingly. See you there!

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