LOS ANGELES — The reserves for the All-Star Sport will probably be introduced on Sunday, and all indicators level towards Dodgers catcher Will Smith making his second look within the Midsummer Traditional.
His numbers main as much as Friday’s sport had been already ok. However simply to erase any potential doubt, Smith delivered among the best video games of his profession, launching three homers in opposition to the Brewers, together with a game-tying solo blast off the foul pole within the seventh inning to assist the Dodgers beat Milwaukee, 8-5, at Dodger Stadium.
Smith grew to become simply the fourth catcher in franchise historical past with a three-homer sport, becoming a member of Corridor of Famers Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza, in addition to Yasmani Grandal, who completed the feat nearly eight years to the date on July 8, 2016. He additionally grew to become the second Dodger to hit three homers in a sport this season, becoming a member of Max Muncy, who did it on Could 4 in opposition to the Braves.
“These are clearly actually good catchers, among the greatest to ever do it,” Smith stated. “Simply to be talked about with them in one thing is fairly neat.”
Over the past month, Smith hasn’t had the identical influence offensively because the Dodgers have grown accustomed to since he grew to become the on a regular basis catcher in 2020. He had homered simply twice for the reason that begin of June.
Nonetheless, when Smith will get contained in the field, he’s one of the crucial feared offensive-minded catchers within the league. That was evidenced within the eighth inning, because the Brewers might have elected to go along with left-hander Hoby Milner to face Shohei Ohtani with one out within the body.
Given Smith’s dominant displaying as much as that time, nevertheless, the Brewers couldn’t afford to let the Dodgers catcher face one other left-hander, giving Ohtani the chance to face the righty. Ohtani ended up grounding out and Smith, as a substitute of making an attempt to broaden the strike zone with a view to try to hit a fourth homer, took a stroll that arrange Freddie Freeman’s go-ahead two-run single. It was Smith’s second stroll of the sport, that means he reached in all 5 of his plate appearances.
“Will had a heck of an evening,” stated Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts. “He’s simply so constant and he simply doesn’t get the popularity that he deserves of being one of many prime two catchers within the sport. However at the moment, he got here up massive, and till that eighth inning, it was all him, primarily.”
Together with Smith, the Dodgers’ two Cuban-born outfielders, Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas, did work within the center frames. Pages received on base twice, persevering with a powerful rookie season. Vargas, who will get extra taking part in time with Jason Heyward on the injured checklist, reached base safely 3 times and hit his second homer, a two-run blast within the fourth that helped the Dodgers reduce their deficit to at least one run.
“I assumed the younger youngsters had a great evening tonight,” Roberts stated. “Andy continues to develop and shine and Vargas actually had an enormous evening for us, too. Up and down, one by means of 9, nicely performed.”
Within the eighth, it was Freeman and Tesocar Hernández that did the injury. Each Freeman and Hernández appear to come back up in massive spots constantly, and most of the time, they find yourself coming by means of in an enormous manner.
Freeman got here to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in opposition to Milner. After falling behind within the depend, Freeman took a borderline pitch in a 1-2 depend. On the following pitch, Freeman stayed again on a Milner sweeper and grounded it into middle area to present the Dodgers the two-run lead, finishing one other late comeback. Hernández supplied insurance coverage with an RBI double.
“His potential to not have any second get too massive,” Roberts stated of Freeman. “He simply grinds and competes and he has a approach to put the ball in play and eager to be that man. He’s achieved it for us time and time once more.”
After a disappointing couple of sequence in opposition to the Giants and D-backs, the Dodgers needed to get off to a great begin in opposition to the NL Central-leading Brewers, a group that can be combating for postseason place.
They wanted an enormous efficiency from somebody. Smith delivered precisely that.
“He’s been quietly one of many engines that run the ship over there that’s been fairly profitable,” stated Brewers supervisor Pat Murphy. “He has perhaps an important job on the group.”
