LOS ANGELES — For three games, Teoscar Hernandez’s ability to hit left-handed pitching was just theoretical – like a new hire who claimed on his resumé to be bilingual.
Hernandez put his skill to good use Friday night, hitting home runs in his first two at-bats against left-handed pitching this season and driving in four runs as the Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3.
“Teoscar’s got a good track record. There’s going to be some strikeouts in there but there’s going to be some home runs,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “To have him kind of laying in the weeds in the sixth hole adds a lot of length to our lineup. You get through the first three, four, five guys then you’ve got a really dangerous hitter in Teoscar.
“Tongiht he proved us all right and had a big night.”
Hernandez carried the load on a night when the three former MVPs at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup went a combined 1 for 11 with four strikeouts.
The one hit, though, was a home run by Mookie Betts, leading off the bottom of the first inning. It was the 49th leadoff home run of his career, breaking a tie with Ian Kinsler and moving him into fifth place all-time (Rickey Henderson’s 81 are the MLB record).
Twenty-nine of those leadoff home runs by Betts have come since he joined the Dodgers in 2020, breaking another tie – with Davey Lopes for the franchise record.
Betts also walked in the game and has reached base in 13 of his first 19 plate appearances this season.
Hernandez was not off to good start. Signed for one year and $23.5 million ($8.5 million of it – of course – deferred), he was 2 for his first 12 with seven strikeouts – well on his way to matching last year’s unsightly total of 211 strikeouts (third in the majors).
But he had yet to take an at-bat against a left-handed pitcher, against whom he has a career OPS of .887 (more than 100 points higher than his OPS against right-handers).
The Cardinals took care of that, starting lefty Zack Thompson on Friday night.
“We saw one today,” Hernandez said with a smile when asked if he was frustrated by his slow start against a steady diet of right-handers. “I’m always happy. It doesn’t matter whether I’m facing a left-hander or a right-hander. I’m just trying to do my job and do it in the best way I can.”
In his first at-bat against Thompson, Hernandez got a 1-and-0 fastball up and out over the plate and lined it over the wall in right field for an opposite-field solo homer.
Two innings later, Will Smith walked with one out and Max Muncy followed with a single. Thompson’s first pitch to Hernandez was a hanging curveball and Hernandez sent it on a 370-foot journey into the left field pavilion for a three-run homer.
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“It feels great obviously,” Hernandez said of making his first big impact with the Dodgers. “You go out there and get a good pitch to hit and you don’t miss like I was missing yesterday. Today I was just thinking to get a good pitch to hit like I was getting yesterday and put a good swing on it. That’s what happened today.”
While Hernandez was powering the Dodgers’ offense, Bobby Miller was overpowering the Cardinals’ hitters.
Miller was dominant for six scoreless innings against the Cardinals. He retired the first 11 in order and allowed just three baserunners (two singles and one walk) while striking out a career-high 11.
“I think everything was kind of working for me tonight,” Miller said. “The command of the fastball down, it’s something I emphasize a lot. Trying to command that fastball at a high velocity, I think it’s a good pitch if you can command it down and away. Honestly every single pitch felt really good for me tonight.”
Miller started to run out of gas in the sixth inning, giving up a hit and walking a batter. But his 93rd pitch of the night was a 98-mph fastball blown by Nolan Gorman to end the inning.
“Bobby was really good from the outset,” Roberts said. “The stuff had life. 11 punch (strikeouts) tonight. The breaking ball was on. The changeup is always good. He just did a good job. I thought Will (Smith) did a good job also of kind of, the fingers (pitch calling) and kind of keeping those guys guessing. Eleven strikeouts — that’s a good night.”
A solo home run by Miguel Rojas in the seventh inning made it 6-0 before Michael Grove helped the Cardinals make it close. The young right-hander loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth on a soft infield single, a walk and a hit batter.
Ryan Brasier gave up a two-run double and a sacrifice fly before putting things back in order.
The Dodgers have won their first two games at Dodger Stadium this season by a combined score of 13-4.