By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to build momentum early in the season, taking two of three games from the Texas Rangers before opening their next series with back-to-back wins over the New York Mets.
Walk-Off Drama at Dodger Stadium
The weekend series against Texas delivered plenty of fireworks, starting with a dramatic Game 1 comeback.
The Rangers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning after former Dodger Corey Seager blasted a three-run home run off right-hander Tyler Glasnow. But Los Angeles responded steadily. Max Muncy launched a home run in the fourth, Hyeseong Kim added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Andy Pages delivered a key double in the sixth to give the Dodgers a 5-4 edge.
Game 2 proved even more thrilling.
Pages came through again with a two-run homer in the eighth inning to put the Dodgers ahead 7-4. But the ninth inning unraveled when closer Edwin Díaz allowed a leadoff single, followed by a two-run homer from Evan Carter that cut the lead to one. After recording two outs, Díaz surrendered a game-tying single to Ezequiel Durán.
That set the stage for Muncy.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and already two home runs on the night, Muncy fell behind 0-2 before Texas reliever Jacob Latz left a slider over the plate. Muncy crushed it 401 feet for a walk-off, three-home-run performance, sealing an 8-7 Dodgers victory.
The Dodgers dropped the series finale, though Shohei Ohtani continued to shine, leading off the game with a home run—his second consecutive game opening with a long ball.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Strong Start Against Struggling Mets
Los Angeles carried that momentum into its series against New York.
In Game 1, Justin Wrobleski delivered a dominant outing, tossing two-hit ball over a career-high eight innings in a 4-0 win. He struck out two, walked none, and needed just 90 pitches—64 for strikes—to keep the Mets’ offense in check.
Andy Pages stayed hot at the plate, launching a three-run homer, while Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 47 games after being hit by a pitch in the first inning. The mark ties him with Ron Cey for the second-longest on-base streak in Dodgers history.
Game 2 featured a tight pitchers’ duel between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and rookie Nolan McLean. The game remained deadlocked until the eighth inning, when the Dodgers pushed across the go-ahead run en route to a 2-1 victory.
The Mets’ struggles continued, as the loss marked their seventh straight. During that stretch, New York has been outscored 36-10, dropping to 7-11 and into last place in the National League East.
Building Early-Season Momentum
With strong pitching performances, timely hitting, and standout moments from stars like Muncy, Ohtani, and Pages, the Dodgers are showing signs of a team finding its rhythm early.
As the season progresses, Los Angeles appears poised to remain a force in the National League—combining power at the plate with consistency on the mound.