HOUSTON— Teoscar Hernández hit his 22nd home run, River Ryan struck out eight in his first major-league win, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros 6–2 on Sunday.
Gavin Lux and James Outman also homered, and Shohei Ohtani stole his career-high 27th base for the Dodgers, who entered the game with a 1–7 road record in July.
“That was a good win top to bottom,” Lux said. “To take one from a really good team, obviously avoid the sweep, have some momentum going into the off day. I think we all wanted that one pretty bad.”
With the Dodgers clinging to a 3–2 lead in the eighth, Hernández turned on a slider from Bryan King and sent it 361 feet into the left-field seats. Cavan Biggio extended the Dodgers lead with an RBI single to center, scoring Lux, who had walked, to make it 5–2.
Jason Heyward tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, scoring Ohtani.
“We need every bit of it,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “Up and down the lineup, we got production. That was a good thing.”
After the first inning, Ryan (1–0) struck out six of the next 10 batters he faced through the fourth. The rookie did not surrender a hit until Jon Singleton doubled off the right-field bullpen fence to lead off the sixth inning.
Ryan retired the next two batters on flyballs to center field but had reached his 91st pitch, so Roberts went to the bullpen.
“It was good to see him use that four-pitch mix effectively,” Roberts said. “We pushed him. I don’t think he’s gone more than 74 pitches in his professional career. He was in a good spot, and I thought he left it out there. He gave us all he had.”
Ryan gave up one run on two hits while walking three in 5 2/3 innings.
“Unbelievable. It’s something you work for your whole life, pitching in the big leagues,” Ryan said. “Fortunately, I was able to come out with a W today.”
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti (4–9) struck out five of the first eight batters he faced. He set down eight straight batters from the second until giving up a solo homer to Outman in the fifth.
“I felt good, try to treat everyone the same way,” Arrighetti said. “Obviously, a full stadium on a Sunday against the Dodgers, I’m going to be a little fired up. I was glad it was coming out well.”
Lux continued his hot streak with a 379-foot, two-run homer to right field in the sixth. Since the All-Star break, Lux has homered three times and driven in seven runs.
“He’s competing real well and playing good ball,” Roberts said.
Arrighetti gave up three runs on four hits, walked two, and struck out eight.
Yainer Diaz hit a two-run homer for the Astros in the sixth, but Houston was 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
“Offensively, this guy can get barrel to the ball,” Astros Manager Joe Espada said of Diaz. “He can hit the ball hard. He’s doing a nice job protecting Yordan Alvarez.”
Trainer’s Room
Dodgers: Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (right-triceps tightness) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday.Up Next
Dodgers: Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (8–6, 3.47 earned-run average) is scheduled to face San Diego right-hander Matt Waldron (6–9, 3.64) when Los Angeles opens a two-game road series against the Padres on Tuesday.Astros: Right-hander Jake Bloss (0–1, 6.94) is set to oppose electric Pittsburgh rookie right-hander Paul Skenes (6–1, 1.93) as Houston opens a three-game series against the visiting Pirates on Monday.
