LOS ANGELES — When Max Muncy launched a 95.8 mph fastball into the right-center-field bleachers in the second inning Friday night, Dodger Stadium erupted – including a familiar face.
Watching from the stands, Clayton Kershaw couldn't help but react like the teammate he was just a season ago, leaping up to raise his cup to a fired-up home dugout.
And really, what else was there to do but celebrate when you're watching your former teammates take a 1.67 ERA out of the hands of Phillies ace Zack Wheeler by relying entirely on the long ball?
Los Angeles didn't bother trying to manufacture small ball against the National League East contenders. Instead, they turned to relentless power, launching four solo shots to secure the 4-2 victory.
It was only the second time in Wheeler’s career that he allowed four home runs in a start, with the only other occurrence coming against the Baltimore Orioles on June 16, 2024.
Manager Dave Roberts noted that while the team didn't flood the basepaths, their hyper-focused aggression on Wheeler's rare mistakes made all the difference.
"We didn't have a whole lot of baserunners tonight, but the long ball certainly came into play," Roberts said. "Wheeler's one of the game's best, and so he doesn't give up a lot of homers. But tonight we had four really good swings."
The ambush began in the first inning, when Freddie Freeman crushed a 96.1 mph four-seam fastball into the left-field pavilion. Muncy followed, unleashing the definitive blast that prompted Kershaw's salute and sent the stadium into an early frenzy.
"We just weren't missing the few mistakes he made," Muncy said. "Overall, he didn't pitch that bad of a game tonight. We didn't have a whole lot of traffic out there, but we took advantage of the few mistakes he made."
By the time Shohei Ohtani lined an 87.8 mph splitter to right field in the third, and Will Smith drove a sinker to right-center field in the fifth, the pattern was clear: Hunt Wheeler's primary pitches and capitalize on mistakes over the plate.
The victory gives Los Angeles six consecutive wins and 13 in its last 15 games, a stretch that Roberts attributes to a distinct shift in the batter's box over the last few series.
"There's just more intent," Roberts said. "We didn't put a lot of hits together [today], but I still thought that we were still on the aggressive side of things offensively. I just like the intent."
Inside the clubhouse, the mentality remains remarkably grounded, refusing to let the emotion of a midseason hot streak cloud the daily routine.
"Honestly, it just feels like we're showing up every day and playing baseball," Muncy said. "And that's how it felt when we're playing bad, and that's how it feels when we're playing good. And that's the way you want it to be. ... You don't want to chase the highs. You don't want to lower the lows."