{"id":608,"date":"2026-06-16T11:05:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=608"},"modified":"2026-06-16T11:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:05:27","slug":"miguel-rojas-tie-breaking-homer-propels-dodgers-to-series-opening-win-over-rays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=608","title":{"rendered":"Miguel Rojas\u2019 tie-breaking homer propels Dodgers to series-opening win over Rays"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Miguel Rojas had practiced his dance moves in the Dodgers dugout Monday, long before he hit the go-ahead home run. Before the game, he strutted around, at one point even grabbing Dalton Rushing, decked in full catcher\u2019s gear, to get hyped.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018They want to keep that sort of rustic experience\u2019: Last public meeting on Kahuku Unit plan today in Naalehu<\/a><\/p>\n

Rojas, who pinch-hit for Alex Freeland in the bottom of the seventh and homered to center, was more measured as he crossed the plate without any antics. His veteran steadiness never indicated that he\u2018d hit a pinch-hit home run only one other time in his career.<\/p>\n

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The Dodgers\u2019 4-3 win over Tampa Bay rid them of their middling road performance. The team split a six-game trip, capped by a Sunday loss to the Chicago White Sox, before returning home.<\/p>\n

No one found more immediate success than Kyle Tucker, who temporarily put his .227 batting average on the trip in the rearview mirror. For how long remains a question. Tucker\u2019s season so far has looked more like a teenager testing out their driver\u2019s license: stopping and starting and stopping again. Yet everything seemed to be working when the Dodgers ( 46-27 ) beat the Rays (41-28).<\/p>\n

Of the five Dodgers who\u2019ve played at least 60 games, Tucker has the lowest batting average (.238). Still, he battled in an eight-pitch duel in the second inning before taking a changeup 384 feet over the wall in right-center. His home run tied the score at three apiece, and Tucker wasn\u2019t finished.<\/p>\n

The next inning, the Rays\u2019 Ben Williamson hit a two-out single to Tucker in right field, and Tampa\u2019s Jonathan Aranda darted around third toward home. Tucker lasered a ball to Rushing, who tagged Aranda out on the slide.<\/p>\n

Read more World Cup underdogs Cape Verde stun Spain in goalless stalemate<\/a><\/p>\n

The defensive play helped buoy an otherwise precarious start by pitcher Eric Lauer. The left-hander had been undefeated in three starts with the Dodgers, a large departure from the 1-5 record he had with the Toronto Blue Jays. After starting his year with a 6.69 ERA, Lauer had dropped it to 2.76 with the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

But inconsistencies plagued Lauer\u2019s start, ranging from the three earned runs he gave up in the first two innings to a pitch clock violation in the fourth. While Lauer eventually settled, the command of his fastball remained absent. He normally crosses the strike zone with 53.7% accuracy on his fastball, getting batters to chase about 37% of the time. In the series opener, Lauer threw his four-seamer in the zone only 42% of the time, cutting his chase rate to 23%.<\/p>\n

In other words, the best pitch in Lauer\u2019s arsenal became one of his worst, and the Rays took advantage. Junior Caminero doubled in the first inning, and Ryan Vilade followed with a home run on a cutter, silencing a sold-out Dodger Stadium before the game could even heat up. The Rays tacked on another run on a safety squeeze, taking the lead until Tucker\u2019s home run. Lauer finished after six innings, giving up the three earned runs on six hits and three walks, striking out four.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez fared about as well. The right-hander lasted 5-1\/3 innings of three-run baseball, striking out six and walking one.<\/p>\n

While there was movement on the bases for both starters, the game lulled until the seventh. A couple of feet separated Rushing\u2019s foul ball from a home run. Reliever Steven Matz didn\u2019t get so lucky with Rojas, who delivered his first homer since April 20.\n<\/p>\n

Read more Completion of HVO facility projected for 2027<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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