LOS ANGELES -- For the second consecutive night, the Dodgers’ lineup card looked a bit lighter than usual. With Shohei Ohtani receiving a scheduled day off and Mookie Betts sidelined to manage his workload, the spotlight shifted to the rest of the order to see if the offense could maintain its punch.
They didn't disappoint. Behind a strong quality start from Emmet Sheehan and a persistent, late-inning offensive surge, the Dodgers secured a 5-2 victory. The win not only allowed Los Angeles to escape the four-game set with a series split but it propelled the Dodgers (26-18) back into first place in the National League West.
The Dodgers didn't wait long to prove they could produce without their top-of-the-order superstars. In his first career appearance in the leadoff spot, Will Smith took Giants starter Landen Roupp deep to right-center field.
The Statcast-projected 390-foot blast was just the second home run Roupp has allowed all season, and it was Smith’s first career leadoff homer in his first career start atop the lineup.
"I just feel he's unflappable," manager Dave Roberts said pregame of the decision to move Smith to the top of the order. "Whatever position he's in, you put him in, he responds. I felt that giving him an opportunity to get five at-bats while leaving the other guys in their [regular] spots made the most sense. I just trust him."
Smith cracked a joke about his temporary role after the game in his interview with SportsNet LA: “Yeah, it felt good. Just trying to be like Sho [Ohtani], leading off with a homer. But yeah, just another AB."
Though a Jung Hoo Lee inside-the-park home run tied things in the fifth, the Dodgers’ offense remained patient, eventually breaking the game open in the sixth. After Andy Pages walked and Teoscar Hernández doubled to put two in scoring position, Roberts turned to the bench for pinch-hitter Alex Call. Call delivered the go-ahead blow, a flared single to right that brought home both Max Muncy and Hernández, though Call admitted he was the last one in the stadium to know where the ball landed.
"I guess I just didn't quite see it off the bat," Call laughed. "I'm looking for it, keep looking up. And then all of a sudden, I hear the crowd get really loud. So I'm like, 'OK, you better run.' It's a lot of joy and excitement to get a big hit for the team."
Miguel Rojas followed Call's heroics with a gritty 10-pitch battle that ended in an RBI single, his longest plate appearance resulting in a hit since 2018.
On the mound, Sheehan turned in six solid innings, striking out six and allowing just two hits, earning his third win of the season.
"Huge," Roberts said of Sheehan’s performance. "It seems like every time he's been going out there he's getting better. And today, I think, was his best outing in totality. The fastball was good, the life to it, the command of it ... we needed some length and it sets us up in the ‘pen for this next series."
Despite a minor hiccup in the fifth, Sheehan’s velocity remained consistent, sitting comfortably at 94-96 mph with his four-seam fastball. That velo was something Sheehan credited to a unique midgame routine suggested by strength coach Eric Gabron.
"It was kind of just a med ball drill that we would do," Sheehan said. "[Gabron] had the idea to try it in between innings during the game. It’s definitely nice to have that [velocity] later in starts."
Through his four career starts against San Francisco, Sheehan has now maintained a 1.14 ERA over 23 2/3 innings.
Watching the club's sixth-inning rally was Hall of Famer Joe Torre, in attendance to recognize his Safe At Home Foundation. Earlier in the day, Torre noted that the challenges of managing a long season are "like putting a puzzle together" -- a sentiment that rang true as the Dodgers manufactured a series split relying upon the depth of their roster.
For Roberts, seeing players like Call and Rojas deliver in the clutch is exactly what opens up an offense when the superstars are down.
"It was really good to see all three of those at-bats ... they were huge and we needed them," Roberts said.
As the Dodgers move back into first place, the manager is the first to admit they haven't even reached their ceiling yet.
"Getting there. Getting there," Roberts said. "I think that there's still more in there offensively, but I think we're getting there. The most important thing is to win baseball games and to not be completely synced up and still find ways to win. It's good."