Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Oakland A’s 7-3

In his first appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lance Lynn faced a tough challenge, giving up three home runs. However, despite this setback, the Dodgers secured a 7-3 victory against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.

After the game, Lynn expressed his satisfaction with the win, stating, "We won, so it was good. That's all that matters. Whenever you join a new team, making a positive impression is important."

Just last week, Lynn was traded from the Chicago White Sox, and he started the game strongly by retiring the first seven batters he faced. Unfortunately, he later struggled and ended up conceding his 29th, 30th, and 31st home runs of the season.

In the sixth inning, Zack Gelof hit a deep home run, followed by Brent Rooker's homer on Lance Lynn's first pitch of the seventh inning. Shortly after, Jordan Diaz's solo shot brought the Athletics closer at 4-3. This marked their first visit to Dodger Stadium since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Lynn, with a record of 7-9, gave up three runs and five hits over the course of seven innings. The right-handed pitcher achieved seven strikeouts and only walked one batter, significantly contributing by pitching valuable innings to alleviate pressure on the bullpen. The Dodgers' manager, Dave Roberts, noted, "It's been quite some time since we had a starter get through seven. It's what we needed."

Lynn had a record of 6-9 with an ERA of 6.47 and a total of 144 strikeouts during his time with the White Sox. He, along with reliever Joe Kelly, was traded to the NL West-leading Dodgers. The Dodgers were aiming to strengthen their pitching as they approached the final 1 1/2 months of the regular season.

Manager Roberts commented on Lynn, saying, "He's receptive to improvement. There's a learning process for both sides as we familiarize ourselves with each other."

In the Dodgers' 60th win of the season, Freddie Freeman stood out with an impressive performance, going 4 for 5 at the plate, scoring two runs, and driving in a run. His hits included a double and three singles, and he also successfully stole his 14th base. On the other hand, Will Smith faced a challenging game, striking out four times – the second occurrence of this in his career. Chris Taylor showed great discipline at the plate, drawing four walks.

Freeman expressed his admiration for Lynn's debut, describing him as a determined and competitive player who is eager to stay in the game and contribute. Freeman mentioned, "He's a bulldog competitor, always ready for the challenge and reluctant to be taken out of games. His skill set is still impressive, and it's a great advantage to have him as part of our team."

In the seventh inning, the Dodgers extended their lead to 6-3 by scoring two additional runs. Mookie Betts hit a 394-foot home run off Freddy Tarnok, while Sam Long took the mound and issued a bases-loaded walk to James Outman, allowing Freeman to cross the plate.

Kiké Hernández, who was acquired in a trade from Boston the previous week, played a pivotal role in the game with a three-run double that highlighted a productive four-run fourth inning. The sequence began with Freeman's single, followed by strikeouts of Will Smith and Amed Rosario by Ken Waldichuk (2-7).

Subsequently, Waldichuk found himself in a challenging situation, loading the bases with consecutive walks to Max Muncy and Chris Taylor. The left-handed pitcher then threw a significant, slow-breaking ball that struck Outman, resulting in Freeman scoring the Dodgers' first run.

Kiké Hernández's double to the left side proved pivotal, bringing in Muncy, Taylor, and Outman, and extending the Dodgers' lead to 4-0.

Reflecting on his performance, Hernández shared, "Upon joining the team, I was extremely focused on refining my mechanics. It appears I had developed some unfavorable habits over the past few years."

Waldichuk's outing lasted 3 2/3 innings, during which he conceded four runs on just one hit, striking out five batters while issuing three walks.

In the sixth inning, Hernández demonstrated his defensive prowess, making a notable play by dashing towards the left foul line and colliding with the low wall as he caught a fly ball hit by Cody Thomas, effectively concluding the inning.

The Oakland pitchers faced challenges, collectively issuing nine walks and allowing a total of 17 baserunners.