LAD 10, MIA 6; Mookie Betts leads Dodgers past Marlins in Back-and-Forth Contest

Miami, FL—It was competitive, but the better team won. Five days after sweeping the Marlins in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers welcomed themselves to loanDepot Park on Friday night, hungry for more.

Miami played this game hours after announcing they had designated 1B/DH Jesús Aguilar for assignment. He had been with the Marlins since 2020 and led them in almost all offensive categories.

While it was suspected that Bryan Hoeing would make his 2nd career start, manager Don Mattingly announced pregame that it would be a bullpen game, with Hoeing being available.

Unexpectedly, the bullpen strategy worked well for the Marlins on Friday night. After a rocky top of the first for Nance in which he threw 28 pitches, he settled down and pitched a clean top of the second.

Up next was Huascar Brazoban, who also pitched a scoreless two innings while navigating through some traffic. Hoeing then took the ball and threw a perfect 5th inning.

In the top of the 6th, the lethal Dodger lineup was able to manufacture a run. After Will Smith led the inning off with a double, he advanced to third on a single by Justin Turner. Former future Marlin Chris Taylor then drove him home with a sacrifice fly.

With All-Star left-hander Tyler Alexander on the mound, it seemed like one run would be enough.

In the bottom of the 6th, however, rookie Peyton Burdick led off the frame with a single to left. Miguel Rojas reached on a fielder’s choice and an E-5, followed by a Brian Anderson base on balls. That loaded the bases for Joey Wendle, who smacked a two-run double down the right field line to score two. Wendle’s first extra-base hit since August 17 gave Miami a 2-1 lead against the best team in baseball.

That momentum was short-lived, however. Trayce Thompson began the 7th with a base hit, and Mookie Betts followed with a two-run shot, which gave the Dodgers a 3-2 advantage.

Miami continued to show resilience in the bottom half of the inning. After they loaded the bases with a couple of walks and a base hit, Miguel Rojas came through with an RBI single to right to tie the game at 3. Joey Wendle came through again with an infield RBI single, which gave Miami the lead again.

Tanner Scott came in for the ninth to attempt to close it out. After he recorded the first out, Betts smashed his second home run of the game to tie it up. That was Scott’s sixth blown save of the season.

Later in the inning, Justin Turner drove in another Dodger run to give them the lead in the 9th.

The Marlins weren’t done yet. Peyton Burdick welcomed pitcher David Price with a dramatic home run to dead center to tie the game at 5. That was his 2nd career homer.

Andrew Nardi came in to pitch the top of the 10th, and things didn’t go well. The Mookie Betts Show continued with an RBI double, followed by a Trea Turner RBI single. Marlin killer Freddie Freeman joined in on the fun with an RBI double, which extended the Dodgers' lead to 8-5. Muncy then drilled a two-run double to make it 10-5. It was a forgettable outing for the young left-hander.

The Dodger secured the victory, improving to 87-37, a whopping 50 games over .500. The Marlins fell to 54-71, a season-worst 17 games under .500.

Sandy Alcantara will take the mound Saturday night against Dustin May and the Dodgers. There is an Avisaíl Garcia bobblehead giveaway at the park, so arrive early.