MIAMI — Not since Crockett and Tubbs has a duo laid down the law in Miami like Landon Knack and Matt Sauer.
Promoted from Triple-A with an assignment to soak up innings so the rest of the Dodgers’ pitching staff could catch its breath, Knack and Sauer combined to take a shutout into the ninth inning as the Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins, 10-1, on Wednesday.
They opened the roof at loanDepot Park for the series finale and seemed to let all the offense out. Whether it was the sunshine and blue sky or the combined efforts of Knack and Marlins starter Valente Bellozo, the Dodgers and Marlins combined for just three hits through the first five scoreless innings.
Bellozo, a Mexican right-hander with an unremarkable track record through six professional seasons, baffled the Dodgers with his six-pitch repertoire. He allowed just one hit in 5⅓ innings – a first-inning single by Freddie Freeman that extended his hitting streak to 12 games – and walked one while striking out six in a Dodgers lineup devoid of Teoscar Hernandez (injured) and Will Smith (day off).
The first run of the day didn’t come until Bellozo was lifted in the sixth inning and was a combined product of Shohei Ohtani and Freeman – another duo that stars in Miami.
After walking in his first two at-bats, Ohtani ripped a triple to center field with one out in the sixth inning. Mookie Betts drew a walk and Freeman drove Ohtani in with a single to left field.
In eight career games at loanDepot Park, Ohtani is a .394 hitter (13 for 33) with three doubles, Wednesday’s triple and six home runs – half of them in his 50/50 game last September. Those numbers do not include another career highlight – the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game played here.
That was all the support Knack and Sauer needed.
Knack allowed just one baserunner through the first four innings and two hits in the first five. As his pitch count crossed 70, he gave up a pair of singles to start the sixth inning.
Sauer took over from there. He got a double-play grounder and struck out Jesus Sanchez (Tuesday’s walk-off hero for the Marlins) to escape harm.
The margin for error got much bigger after the Dodgers broke the game open with a six-pack in the top of the seventh.
Hyeseong Kim drove in the first run with a single. With runners at the corners, the Marlins intentionally walked Ohtani. Betts drew an unintentional walk to force in a run and Freeman unloaded them with a three-run triple. Andy Pages drove Freeman in with an RBI single.
Freeman shares Ohtani’s fondness for the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami.
In 95 games there, Freeman has hit .328 (120 for 366) with 18 of his 42 home runs against the Marlins.
James Outman piled on with a three-run home run in the ninth. But a pair of errors on the infield led to a run for the Marlins in the bottom of the inning, spoiling the shutout.
More to come on this story.
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