Dodgers start strong vs. Blue Jays

Los Angeles landed in Toronto and put up 18 runs in the first two games of the series, beating the Blue Jays 14-2 on Monday, April 6, and 4-1 on Tuesday, April 7, before Toronto finally answered with a 4-3 win on Wednesday, April 8. (mlb.com) (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The opener got out of hand because Los Angeles hit five home runs and finished with 17 hits, while Toronto managed five hits and trailed 6-1 before the sixth inning even started. (mlb.com) (espn.com) The biggest surprise was Dalton Rushing, a rookie catcher and outfielder who reached base in all five plate appearances and hit two home runs in his first career four-hit game. (mlb.com) (cbssports.com) Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernández also homered in that 14-2 win, which is the kind of lineup problem that keeps changing shape because the damage does not come from one spot. (latimes.com) (mlb.com) Game 2 looked quieter on the scoreboard, but it carried the same pressure: Los Angeles won 4-1, and the Blue Jays were still chasing from behind after the Dodgers scored early again. (espn.com) By Wednesday, Toronto had to grind out a one-run game just to avoid a sweep, and the winning run scored in the eighth inning on a throwing error by Dodgers catcher Will Smith after Davis Schneider had reached and moved into scoring position. (espn.com) That is what a strong series opening does in baseball: a 14-2 game burns through relievers, a second straight loss tightens every late-inning decision, and by the finale the other dugout is managing like it cannot afford one more mistake. (mlb.com) (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The Dodgers did not just get one big night from one superstar in Toronto. They got a rookie breakout, home runs from the middle of the order, and enough early scoring across three days to make every Blue Jays pitching plan feel temporary. (mlb.com) (latimes.com) (espn.com)