Max Muncy homered twice and doubled, Ross Stripling pitched seven neat innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1 on Friday night.
A day after beating the Giants 8-1 on opening day, the NL West champion Dodgers scored in every inning except the third and outhit the Giants 13-4.
NL MVP Cody Bellinger raised his arms as if encouraging the fake crowd cheers when the game ended.
“They're doing their best with the crowd noise but it's not the same,” Muncy said. “There’s not that adrenaline rush.”
Mookie Betts notched his first RBI for Los Angeles in going 1 for 6. He went 1 for 5 in the opener, having signed a 12-year, $365 million contract the previous day.
Muncy hit solo shots in the first off Tyler Anderson (0-1) and in the sixth off Kevin Gausman. He and Justin Turner doubled back-to-back in the fourth.
Corey Seager added three hits for the Dodgers.
Jaylin Davis, who knelt during the national anthem, homered leading off the third. The Giants remained winless under new manager Gabe Kapler.
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“We’re having a rough start,” infielder Wilmer Flores said. “We have a lot of young guys who have never been in this situation. We can't panic over two games.”
Stripling (1-0) allowed four hits, walked none and struck out seven.
“He was very efficient. It was all working,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The rhythm is really good, the seven innings was really big.”
At spring training, the Dodgers told Stripling that he wouldn’t be starting. He got into the rotation after left-hander David Price opted out of the shortened season, delaying his Dodgers debut until 2021.
An All-Star two years ago, Stripling was 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA last season when he split time between the rotation and bullpen.
Anderson gave up two runs and three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He walked three.
WHEN A PANDA FALLS
Chris Taylor went down hard in a collision with Giants first baseman Pablo Sandoval in the fifth. Taylor was charging to first when Sandoval leaped high to try to catch a throw from third baseman Wilmer Flores that sailed over his head. Sandoval crashed down on Taylor, hitting him in the head. Taylor got up and rested on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He stayed in the game as did Sandoval.
“It was a bad one,” Roberts said. “C.T. is going to have some soreness tomorrow because he landed square on his back and Pablo is built like a fire hydrant. I don’t like that matchup as far as a head-to-head collision.”
THE REPLACEMENTS
The Dodgers are 2-0 after having replacements as starters. Dustin May took over for injured Clayton Kershaw in the opener and then Stripling followed suit. “We should be impressed, but I don't think surprised,” Roberts said.
WATCHING FROM HOME
Price was interviewed from home during the game by the Dodgers' TV network. He had said he'd be watching and keeping up with his teammates via text during the shortened season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: Kershaw’s back issue that forced him to miss his opening day start is improving and he hopes to return soon. Roberts said Kershaw had an MRI after tweaking his back three days earlier. It showed no structural damage. “It’s not too serious,” Kershaw said. “It’s getting better pretty quick.”
UP NEXT
The Giants had yet to name a starter for Saturday. LHP Alex Wood goes for the Dodgers. He is 4-3 with a 3.90 ERA against the Giants.
