Mookie Betts led off with a club-record home run and Teoscar Hernandez added two home runs of his own as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 6-3 victory Friday over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Betts not only set the Dodgers’ record for leadoff home runs with 29 — breaking a tie with Davey Lopes — he moved past Ian Kinsler and into sole possession of fifth place on MLB’s all-time list with 49 in 11 seasons. Miguel Rojas added a homer for Los Angeles.
Right-hander Bobby Miller (1-0) had a career-best 11 strikeouts over six innings. He gave up two hits with one walk. Evan Phillips pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save.
Nolan Gorman drove in two runs, while left-hander Zack Thompson gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Cardinals, who are 0-2 after going 71-91 last season for their worst record in a 162-game season since 1990.
Betts’ leadoff home run came on the third pitch of the game from Cardinals left-hander Zack Thompson. It was Betts’ third home run in three games, going back to the series at South Korea.
Hernandez hit his first home run of the season to the opposite field in right in the second.
Hernandez, who signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, added a three-run shot in the fourth.
Miller’s only sign of trouble came in the sixth when Masyn Winn singled and Paul Goldschmidt walked with two outs. Miller went 3-1 to Gorman before finishing off his 11th and final strikeout.
Rojas hit his first home run for the Dodgers in the seventh inning for a 6-0 lead.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth inning against Dodgers right-hander Michael Grove. Gorman delivered a two-run double and Nolan Arenado had a sacrifice fly, both against Ryan Brasier, to cut the deficit to 6-3.
–Field Level Media