Dodgers beat Twins for 9th straight win
LOS ANGELES » The Dodgers have been in baseball’s lap of luxury before. It is the point in the season where their claim as the hottest team on the planet threatens to become something even better: the best team on the planet.
The Dodgers extended their winning streak to nine Tuesday with a 10-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
They are 16-3 since hosting the All-Star Game. They have swept both series against teams with a .500 record or better during that run, and can do so a third time by beating the Twins on Wednesday.
Perhaps most impressively, the Dodgers are making it harder with each passing day to identify their weakest links. All nine starters got a hit against Minnesota.
The Dodgers’ 15-hit attack included eight doubles — tying a season high — and a home run by Max Muncy.
Muncy entered the month of August with nine home runs; he has three in six games since, raising his batting average from .161 to .178.
Cody Bellinger, swinging on 3-and-0 against starter Joe Ryan (8-5), hit a two-run double to break the game open in the second inning.
Will Smith went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and Muncy and Trea Turner each had two hits. Justin Turner went 2 for 4, picking up where he left off after a two-week injury absence.
Turner is expected to serve as the Dodgers’ designated hitter for a second consecutive day Wednesday.
Dodgers starter Julio Urías (12-6) threw 90 pitches — 72 for strikes. He allowed only one run in seven innings, did not walk a batter, and struck out eight.
Urías lowered his season earned-run average to 2.49.
Only three qualified National League pitchers (Sandy Alcantara, teammate Tony Gonsolin and Corbin Burnes) have a lower ERA this season.
The Dodgers are 11745 dating to Aug. 5 of last year, which matches the best 162-game stretch by any team since the leagues expanded in 1961.
At 76-33, the Dodgers maintained their grip on baseball’s best record.
No other team has won more than 71 games.