00:01Hard to beat it John, 4th of July in Major League Baseball from Los Angeles on a beautiful day with
00:07the temperature in the low 80s. The Dodgers and Astros starting a three-game weekend series.
00:13Here comes Ben Vesperius ready to take the ball on this Independence Day.
00:17And for Ben, he wants to get back on the beam as far as how he introduced himself to these
00:22Dodger fans. He was outstanding up until the first week in June. An ERA that was right up there with
00:28the league leaders.
00:28There will be Isak Paredes leading things off for the Astros. 47 RBIs for Paredes who has four multi-hit
00:34games in his last six.
00:36First pitch, Isak Paredes gets into one deep to left field all the way back and gone! Astros' first pitch
00:43of the series, it's 1-0!
00:45How about it? Nothing like a quick start against a rival. Wake these fans up and that dugout up early.
00:51Fireworks are usually after sunset, but Isak picking on one early.
00:55Isak being introduced to this little bit of a rivalry. Does it with a flash.
01:01Here's Jose Altuve, beloved in L.A., playing second base this evening.
01:05And that is driven pretty deep to left center field. Racing back on it as Pajes at the wall. It's
01:10off the wall.
01:11Altuve racing the second. The throw in the second by Pajes is offline and not nearly in time.
01:16A double for Jose Altuve. Missed a home run by just a few feet.
01:21So Jose Altuve, amongst the boos, gets another hit. Some hard-hit baseballs in this first inning against Kasperius.
01:28Altuve did advance to third on the play. Now two out in the first. The Dodgers down 1-0. Now
01:33old nemesis Christian Walker.
01:34Now Christian Walker delivers an RBI base hit into right field. Walker, who loves hitting here at Dodger Stadium, makes
01:41it a 2-0 game.
01:42Christian Walker, a career .341 hitter at Dodger Stadium, adds that lofty number with that RBI sink.
01:48There he is. Lance McCullers here on this 4th of July start. Eight starts. He has a 6-6-1
01:53ERA. 40 strikeouts to 20 walks.
01:56And Otani is aboard to lead off at the bottom of the first. For good reason. You've got to show
02:00him a lot of respect.
02:01The first four or five hitters in this lineup are lethal, but you still have to be aggressive.
02:06Here's Mookie Betts, right-handed hitting shortstop, batting .246.
02:09Ground ball, softly hit left side, right at Paredes, goes to second for one. Altuve on the first, just in
02:15time to get bats.
02:16Around the horn, 5-4-3, twin killing, erases the leadoff walk. Two out.
02:20Now Freddie Freeman bats with the bases cleared in two outs.
02:231-2 pitch, he goes down swinging. McCullers picks up a strikeout to end the inning.
02:28Astros and Lance work around the leadoff walk and lead it 2-0 after one.
02:32Will Smith will kick things off the Dodgers in the bottom of the second.
02:36Leading the National League in average in an on-base.
02:39And over the last three weeks, he's also leading the league in slugging.
02:42The complete player.
02:43Hooks a fly ball to deep left center field.
02:46Back goes Tremel. Back goes the ball, and it's gone.
02:49Will Smith does it again, continuing his slugging surge.
02:53And the Dodgers are on the board in the second.
02:56This guy's something.
02:5712 home runs on the year.
02:59Seven have been hit in the last 17 games.
03:02There has been an uptick in slug from the Dodger backstop.
03:062-3-4, hitting here in the inning.
03:08And Jake Myers delivers a base hit down the left field line.
03:11Heading towards the wall, cut off nicely by Conforto.
03:14Jake with a head first slide in there with double number 15 on the season for Jake.
03:19Rest of early, got a good pitch to hit.
03:21And now a runner in scoring position for Jose Altuve,
03:24who didn't miss a home run by much his first time up,
03:26hitting a double off the wall in left center.
03:28Altuve's never had a regular season home run here at Dodger Stadium.
03:32He has hit multiple postseason home runs here.
03:35This ball hit high in the air to left field, carrying well.
03:38Looking up is the center field, and Paz is gone!
03:41First regular season home run at Dodger Stadium for Jose Altuve.
03:46He has made it a 4-1 Astros lead.
03:50And the fans respond by saying,
03:56you've said it before, keep booing, right?
03:58Yeah, keep booing.
03:59He loves it.
03:59He just continues to give fans what they want.
04:02Putting some offense together against Ben Kasparius tonight.
04:05Cam Smith grounded out sharply his first time up.
04:08Cam drills one to center field.
04:10Paz going back on this one, looking up.
04:12It is off the base of the wall and sits there on the wall.
04:15Cam's thinking about three.
04:16Better break it down.
04:17Cam almost needed some help slowing down as he has himself a double.
04:21That's his 15th double of the year.
04:23Now tying Jake Myers with that column.
04:25Here's Walker.
04:26He had an RBI single his last time up.
04:29Visiting hitters with 150 plate appearances all time at Dodger Stadium.
04:34Walker is fourth in batting average.
04:36And that one's hammered.
04:38That one's way out.
04:41Si Senor!
04:42Ten rows deep in left field for Christian Walker.
04:45And the Astros are exploding.
04:48Sixth straight game with a home run at Dodger Stadium for Christian Walker.
04:52Dating back to last year with Arizona.
04:54Boy, you're not kidding.
04:55Not fooling anybody.
04:57And now Will Smith, the catcher, out to the mound.
05:00Double homer, double homer here in the third inning.
05:03Skyrockets in flight.
05:04Lance McCullers Jr. starting off the bottom of the third.
05:08Facing the number nine hitter, Kike Hernandez.
05:10He sends one into right center field.
05:12Slicing.
05:12Can Cam get there?
05:13No!
05:13Jake's going to get there!
05:15Jake Meyers puts it away with a great diving catch.
05:19Falling onto the edge of the warning track.
05:21What a play by Jake.
05:22Tani walked his first time up.
05:24I think it was erased on a double play.
05:26This one off the foot of Lance.
05:28And it's in the air.
05:29That might have been caught in the air.
05:30That's an out.
05:31They were safe at first.
05:33But I think you find that ball in the air.
05:35He'll play an umpire, ringing him up.
05:37Quinn Wolcott says that's it out.
05:39But now they've got to check on Lance.
05:40I'm hoping it got more of a shoe than it got Lance.
05:43That was scary.
05:44But that is a line drive.
05:471-6 put out.
05:49I didn't see that very often.
05:50And it says, I'm good.
05:51I just needed one warm-up pitch and I feel good.
05:53Here we go.
05:54There's two outs.
05:54Nobody on.
05:55The two, three, four hitters all getting on to set it up here for Teoscar.
05:59So the former Astro bats here in a big spot early.
06:02Base is loaded in two outs.
06:04Ground ball towards the middle.
06:05Altuve will make the play.
06:07The throw bounces.
06:08And in time to get Teoscar for the final out of the inning.
06:12The Dodgers strand.
06:13The base is loaded on a good play by Altuve getting his former teammate for the final out.
06:17Here, Tini grounded out and flied out.
06:20Hitting left-handed.
06:21Now he turns around and bats right-handed for the first time.
06:23Richter sends this one to right.
06:25Teoscar drifting back.
06:26Now turning around.
06:27Can he find it?
06:28No.
06:29He kind of turned the wrong way initially and then when he turned back around he did not make the
06:34play.
06:35That's a catchable ball but Victor will take it.
06:37He's on second base with two outs.
06:39They're now going to intentionally walk Yiner Diaz and Taylor Trammell will be pinch hit for.
06:44Robbers wanted to bring up the lefty-on-lefty matchup but instead he's going to get Cooper Hummel coming out
06:49of the dugout.
06:50And Hummel will get a pinch hit appearance here.
06:52Harris walked to the right side.
06:54Base hit being waved around Caratini.
06:56Here comes the throw by Teoscar.
06:58It's going to be closed.
06:59Caratini safe.
07:01Astros lead 7-1.
07:02Pinch hit RBI.
07:03Single by Cooper Hummel.
07:05Could also make Victor coming around and picking up that RBI for Cooper also.
07:09And the Astros have loaded up the bases for Cam Smith.
07:12That strike zone has become all of a sudden elusive for Noah Davis.
07:15So if you're Cam, you've got to really lock in on the zone and force Noah Davis to give you
07:22a pitch inside the zone that you can handle.
07:24Cam with a line drive base hit.
07:25He continues to hit with runners in scoring position.
07:28It's now 8-1 Astros Cam with RBI number 39 and has a dozen RBIs in his last eight games.
07:36Proving to be a force in that fourth spot.
07:38Why not leave the bases loaded for Christian Walker at Dodger Stadium?
07:42Hit him.
07:42That's going to be another RBI.
07:44Walker gets hit on an 0-2 pitch.
07:47And it's now 9-1 Astros as coming down from third is Jake Myers.
07:510-2 hit by pitches are sometimes a gift.
07:55Then to get an RBI on top of it.
07:57Walk single, walk single, hit by pitch.
07:59Astros nobody out.
08:01And base is full.
08:02Caratini down 0-2.
08:04Well, Victor's already had a slam on this road trip.
08:06Caratini skies one deep to right field.
08:09Has he done it twice on this road trip?
08:11He has!
08:13Second grand slam on the trip for Caratini.
08:16The Astros score four and it's a 13-1 lead.
08:21Get spoiled on this road trip.
08:23It's my second four-olive martini.
08:27Victor serving it up.
08:28Who doesn't like a four-olive martini?
08:30Oh, it's beautiful.
08:32Well, the issue with the Dodgers is kind of being exposed right here
08:34with the amount of runs and hits the Astros and racking up.
08:38So here's Jake who singled against Davis earlier in this inning.
08:41Goes after this one.
08:42Sends one down the line.
08:43Back in and by Hernandez.
08:44Long throw.
08:45It gets by first base.
08:46That'll score another run.
08:48Coming in to score is Cooper Hummel.
08:50To third goes to Bond.
08:51Jake Myers will have an infield hit.
08:54They'll add an error to that.
08:55And the Astros now have a 14-1 lead.
08:5912th man to hit in this inning.
09:01Altuve drew a walk and scored a run.
09:03He's already scored three runs in this game.
09:05Got a double, a two-run home run, and two walks.
09:08Altuve skies one to right.
09:10Back goes Hernandez.
09:11Still going back.
09:12He's watching this one go.
09:15Altuve adds three to the board.
09:17To right field.
09:1917-1 Astros with the three.
09:21Three-pointer.
09:22There's that guy again.
09:23Altuve.
09:24Wow.
09:26Astros have yourself a night.
09:28Just padding some stats.
09:30And the Astros have runners on second and third on another extra base hit.
09:35Yadier Diaz is one for three.
09:37He had a double.
09:38That one deep enough in right.
09:40Astierre Ruiz to the track will make the catch.
09:43And now Walker will try to hold.
09:45And it's 18-1 on the sack fly by Yadier Diaz.
09:49Dodgers down to their final out.
09:510-1 is lined.
09:51And a leaping grab by Christian Walker.
09:54And that is the ball game.
09:56This was perfection on the 4th of July.
09:5918-1 tonight.
10:00Yeah, you couldn't have drawn it up any better to do this in L.A.
10:04against a rival.
10:05Put up some grandiose numbers.
10:0720 hits.
10:0818 runs.
10:09It was a full team effort.
10:10And it was also great to see Lance McCullers Jr.
10:12pitch a great game too.
10:13And it was a full team effort.
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