Dodgers rediscover their offense in victory over

SAN FRANCISCO — Teoscar Hernández pumped his fist. Ben Rortvedt let loose a scream. Mookie Betts put some oomph on the end of the Dodgers’ arm-waving, hip-shaking, hit celebration.

After struggling for so long in high-leverage conditions, the staff’s offense finally had cause to have a good time.

For weeks now, the Dodgers have technically been in a tight division race.

The real battle, however, has often been with themselves.

At a time of the 12 months sometimes devoted to scoreboard watching and monitoring the standings, the staff had instead been preoccupied by its own inconsistent play. Chief among their current issues: Capitalizing on scoring alternatives.

In a 13-7 defeat of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, they finally vanquished those demons.

After trailing by three runs early, and reaching all-time low again after coming up empty with the bases loaded and no outs in the second inning, the Dodgers mounted the type of rally that had so often been lacking during their lackluster second half of the season, scoring six runs in the top of the fifth inning to key what felt like a assertion win.

“A lot of guys put together really good at-bats,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “We found a way to keep the ball moving forward, keep moving to the next guy. It was really impressive.”

Early in Saturday’s sport, the Dodgers (83-65) had honed a sound strategy. They burdened Giants ace Logan Webb. They stayed alive in two-strike counts. They labored long at-bats and put runners on base.

The lacking ingredient, as common, had been the big hits needed to construct a big inning. Then, in the top of the fifth, it all so all of a sudden — and refreshingly — flipped.

That’s what occurred in the second, when Webb wiggled out of hassle by getting Miguel Rojas to hit an infield pop-up and Rortvedt to roll into a double-play, preserving the 4-1 lead the Giants had taken against Clayton Kershaw in a 36-pitch first inning.

“It’s real easy, if you don’t get any runs in that inning, to sit there and start pouting and start letting the emotion take over,” Muncy said. “It’s tough to dig out of that hole.”

This time, however, the Dodgers got here back from the useless.

The turnaround began in the third, when Shohei Ohtani bat-flipped a leadoff home run that traveled 454 toes (the longest of his 49 long balls this season) and Hernández belted an RBI double off the wall with two outs.

That momentum carried into the fifth, when the Dodgers’ lately unproductive offense all of a sudden — and refreshingly — flipped the bases-loaded script.

After a stroll from Betts, a single from Freddie Freeman and a stroll from Muncy chased Webb from the sport, Hernández got here to the plate against Giants reliever José Buttó.

Hernández rapidly fell behind to newly inserted Giants reliever José Buttó, taking a first-pitch fastball before fanning on a slider out of the zone. But after shedding another slider in the grime, Hernández bought a mistake, with Buttó leaving a fastball up and over the plate. Hernández lined it to the hole, where heart fielder Luis Matos struggled to get a bead. It dropped in under Matos’ diving attempt, rolling past him for a two-run double that gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.

“Getting closer to October, everybody is trying to do the little things, not trying to do too much and just getting on base for the next guy,” said Hernández, who was one of three Dodgers hitters to report three hits and cleared the path with three RBIs.

“That was a big difference today. Everybody was into the game. It didn’t happen in the second inning, but we came back and started fighting again, every at-bat and scored some runs.”

Indeed, from that level on, the floodgates burst open. Michael Conforto lifted a sacrifice fly to proper. Rortvedt lined another two-run double to left-center. Betts bounced a run-scoring single up the center.

By the time the aspect was retired, 11 Dodgers had come to the plate. Eight had reached safely. Six had come around to rating.

An exorcism, exhale and sigh of aid for the Dodgers’ long-scuffling offense.

“That was awesome,” said Kershaw, who exited after the third. “For them to grind out at-bats — especially after me putting them in a hole after the first inning — getting guys on base, not trying to do too much, taking what they’re giving you, walks, hits, all the things, it was really impressive.”

Dodgers beginning pitcher Clayton Kershaw reacts after giving up an RBI single in the first inning Saturday.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

Over their 26-33 stretch since July 4, the Dodgers had misplaced so many video games like this one, letting unhealthy outings from starters or wasted alternatives early in video games ship them into spirals that lingered for days (and sometimes weeks) after.

But on this night time, every second of adversity was met with an reply.

After Kirby Yates gave back three runs in the underside of the fifth, the Dodgers responded with another three-spot in the sixth punctuated by an RBI double from Rojas. When the bullpen needed somebody to calm the waters, rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski produced 2⅓ scoreless innings.

Even on a day that Will Smith was positioned on the injured checklist (finally being shelved after battling a bone bruise on his hand for the last 10 days) and Muncy left the sport after taking a pitch to the top (he handed postgame concussion protocols, and may have a scheduled day without work Sunday), the Dodgers didn’t wilt.

Instead, their lineup finally produced as anticipated, going seven for 15 with runners in scoring place, producing 11 of their 23 mixed hits and walks with two strikes, and fueling a win that retains the staff 2½ video games up in the National League West standings — all while serving to ease considerations about their lately inconsistent offense.

“I just don’t see why we can’t do that, as far as approach, on a nightly basis,” supervisor Dave Roberts said. “With two strikes, you got to give something up. And I think for me tonight, I saw us give up the pull side. And then you’re starting to get hits to the big part of the field, hits the other way to the other gap, winning pitches. We did that all night long. Good stuff.”