Marlins slug 5 homers on way to 11-3 victory over Dodgers; 11-game winning streak snapped
Jorge Soler hit two of the Marlins' season-high five homers off Tony Gonsolin, and Miami snapped the Los Angeles Dodgers' 11-game winning streak with an 11-3 victory Friday night.
Jake Burger hit a three-run homer and Jacob Stallings added a two-run shot while the Marlins scored six runs on three homers in the third.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s three-run shot in the fourth finally chased Gonsolin (8-5), who gave up a career-worst 10 runs while getting only 10 outs.
"An 11-game winning streak can be broken any day," Chisholm said. "We had an 11-game winning streak, and it got broken. We just came in with the mentality we were going to bust their stuff."
Mookie Betts set a franchise record with his 11th leadoff homer of the season for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who lost for only the second time in 17 games in August. Max Muncy and James Outman also homered in a two-team power surge that surprised Miami manager Skip Schumaker, a Southern California native who got to know the park even better while playing for the Dodgers in 2013.
"We were hitting the ball hard, and they were hitting the ball hard," Schumaker said. "Tonight from both sides, the ball was carrying. It was a different night (at Dodger Stadium)."
Los Angeles couldn't overcome a calamitous start by its 2022 All-Star right-hander. Gonsolin tied Don Sutton's 1973 record for homers allowed in a start during the Dodgers' Los Angeles era.
Gonsolin had never given up more than two homers in a start, but he flopped when the Dodgers desperately needed him to eat innings in the first of three games between these clubs in just over 24 hours.
With Hurricane Hilary expected to reach Southern California in some form Sunday, MLB moved both weekend games to Saturday for a split doubleheader. Gonsolin's struggles forced the Dodgers to get deep into their bullpen — even to infielder Miguel Rojas, who pitched a perfect ninth.
"I thought the ball was coming out pretty good today," Gonsolin said. "I thought I threw some excellent pitches. Thought I executed some pitches that got hit really hard. Overall, just a tough day."
After the game, Gonsolin finally acknowledged he has been pitching through some sort of elbow injury that might require him to take a break from the rotation. Manager Dave Roberts has hinted for weeks about a problem for Gonsolin, who missed 40 games late last season with forearm tightness.
"I can't explain it right now," Gonsolin said. "I don't know what it is exactly, so I try not to."
Sandy Alcántara (6-4) yielded three solo homers while pitching six innings of seven-hit ball for the Marlins, who opened a six-game West Coast trip with their first five-homer game since 2012.
"I got a surprise today from my offense," Alcántara said. "That was really good."
Soler drove Gonsolin's second pitch of the night into the right field stands. He added a 441-foot shot leading off the third inning, giving him 32 homers in his most prolific power season since he hit 48 for Kansas City in 2019.
Three batters later, Burger crushed a bad slider from Gonsolin for his 27th homer of the season and his second since joining Miami.
The Dodgers pulled Betts and Freddie Freeman from the game before the fifth inning, resting their top two hitters for the long Saturday ahead.
Joey Wendle got an RBI triple in the fifth when Chris Taylor badly misread his long drive to left.
MOUND MIGUEL
Rojas spent the previous eight seasons in Miami, and he gleefully retired all three Marlins he faced while throwing eight of his 12 pitches under 50 mph in the ninth. Rojas jokingly tried to bypass the post-inning umpire check for sticky stuff on his hands.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: Reliever JT Chargois threw one inning for Single-A Jupiter on a rehab assignment. He has been out since Aug. 2 with a ribcage strain. ... RHP Tommy Nance (sprained right shoulder) will throw two innings in the minors this weekend. He hasn't pitched for Miami this season.
Dodgers: J.D. Martinez went 1 for 3 in the Miami native's return to the lineup after playing in just two of the previous 10 games due to a nagging groin injury.
UP NEXT
Eury Perez (5-4, 3.19 ERA) will start the first game of the doubleheader for Miami, while the Dodgers will throw a bullpen game likely to include the season debut of Ryan Pepiot, who won a rotation spot in spring training before an oblique injury sidelined him for 3 1/2 months. Julio Urías (10-6, 4.35) will start the nightcap for Los Angeles against Miami's Braxton Garrett (7-3, 3.91).
