Dodgers 9, Guardians 5: Ohtani (ho hum), Muncy (!), and Conforto (!!!) all homer to back May

Chad Moriyama 05/27/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

The Dodgers seemed to get back on track behind their ace yesterday, and today they started by jumping out to an early lead. Dustin May generated a ton of whiffs, though the Guardians did get back into the game against him, but the Dodgers tacked on runs late to take the game and the series with a 9-5 victory.

======

Things didn’t start all that promising against Tanner Bibee, as he struck out the side in the 1st despite a two-out single, but they put together a long rally in the 2nd. Max Muncy started things with a walk and then amusingly stole second standing up, which was followed by an Andy Pages single to score him. Michael Conforto followed by sneaking a ball through the infield to corner the runners, and Dalton Rushing singled to score Pages and make it 2-0.

Muncy running was fun.

Unfortunately, a Tommy Edman double play followed when Rushing basically ran into the fielder’s glove, and after an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani and then an unintentional walk to Mookie Betts loaded the bases, the Dodgers couldn’t push anything further across when Freddie Freeman struck out.

They had Bibee on the ropes, making him throw 42 pitches in the frame, but it could’ve been a lot worse for him. He looked like he was getting back on track after that, as he had a clean 3rd and then struck out the first two batters of the 4th. However, a Edman single was followed by a baffling oppo skyscraper homer from Shohei for his 20th to make it 4-0.

Yeah.

Anyway, thanks in part to Teoscar Hernandez getting thrown out at second in the 5th after he thought he hit a homer but it ended up bouncing off the bottom of the wall instead, Bibee somehow made it through five.

——

So Dustin May was staked to an early lead by the bats, and he had it working early on. He got some help to face the minimum in the 1st, as a Steven Kwan single was erased on a stolen base attempt thanks to a seed from Rushing.

May did give up an “infield single” in the 2nd that Freddie basically whiffed on, and walked a batter in the 3rd, but he also struck out five to that point.

Unfortunately, the 4th started with a single and steal for their first runner in scoring position, then after another strikeout, he issued a walk to put a pair on. That proved costly when Daniel Schneemann bombed a homer to right to cut the Dodger lead down to 4-3 in a flash.

May did set down the final five hitters he faced, and he really looked dominant for most of the start. Just that one mistake: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 9 K, 90 Pitches.

——

Fortunately, the Dodgers did get an insurance run from an unlikely source when Conforto smashed a homer to center in the 6th to put them up 5-3.

After a quiet 7th, they looked like they’d blow the game open in the 8th. Things started with back-to-back-to-back singles from Teoscar, Muncy, and Pages to make it 6-3.

A Conforto walk loaded things up with nobody out … and then Rushing struck out and Edman lined into a double play when Pages was caught off second. Joy.

They looked like they’d do the same in the 9th, as after a lead-off single from Shohei, Mookie singled off the wall in left to corner the runners, but a soft liner and a strikeout put them on the verge of disaster again. Thankfully, Muncy tomahawked his fourth homer of the year out to right to make it 9-3.

——

On the other end, Jack Dreyer took over for May in the 6th and cruised through a seven-pitch inning. He continued in the 7th by getting the first batter before Dave Roberts turned to Ben Casparius, who promptly struck out back-to-back hitters to end that frame.

Casparius continued in the 8th and cruised through a 12-pitch inning.

While it looked like he’d continue if the lead remained at three, due to the increased lead it was rubber-armed Luis Garcia in the 9th, who dropped a ball for an error to start, gave up a single, and ended up surrendering two unearned runs on a double, but got the final out to end it at 9-5.

——

Carlos Santana with the high-riding-shorts-but-actually-pants look.

======

NL WestRecordGB
Dodgers34-21–
Padres30-22*2.5
Giants31-243.0

The series concludes tomorrow at a time that makes me weep, which is 7:10 AM HT/10:10 AM PT/1:10 PM ET. It’ll be Clayton Kershaw looking to not get rained on this time against … somebody for the Guardians because Slade Cecconi was scratched from his start.

About Chad Moriyama

Avatar photo
"A highly rational Internet troll." - Los Angeles Times
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2014-2024 | Dodgers Digest | All Rights Reserved