ARLINGTON, Texas — Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers set the National League record for home runs in a month. Now they’ll keep pushing for the most series victories to start a season in the majors since 1969.
Bellinger’s two-run homer gave the Dodgers 57 long balls in August after solo shots from Corey Seager and Will Smith, and L.A. beat the Texas Rangers 7-2 on Sunday.
The 10th home run of the season for Bellinger topped Atlanta’s previous mark of 56 home runs in June 2019. The record came in the third inning of L.A.’s final game of August. The club is off Monday.
The Dodgers, who have the best record in the majors, bounced back from a series-opening loss to the fading Rangers with consecutive wins. The Dodgers have not lost any of their 12 series to start the season — tied for the fifth-best season-opening run since 1969. The 1990 Cincinnati Reds have the record after not losing any of their first 17 series that season.
L.A. is also among three teams next at 14, a mark the Dodgers reached in 1977 to match the 1970 Minnesota Twins. Baltimore made it a trio in 1997.
Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin surrendered his first run after beginning the season with 16⅔ scoreless innings, but the right-hander still doesn’t have a win to show for his 0.51 ERA. Gonsolin came out after three innings, the third time in four starts he was pulled without going five.
Leody Taveras scored on a wild pitch to end the scoreless streak with no outs in the third. Gonsolin loaded the bases again with his third walk before getting three consecutive outs, capping his outing with his fifth strikeout on the 11th pitch to Todd Frazier.
Seager’s ninth homer went into the Texas bullpen in right-center in the first, and Smith’s fourth was a 439-foot shot into the second deck in left field off Kyle Gibson (1-4) in the second. The Texas right-hander gave up five runs in five innings with eight strikeouts.
Scott Alexander (2-0) was awarded the win after retiring all four batters he faced. The lefty and Dennis Santana combined to finish the game with 3⅓ hitless innings. Seager and Mookie Betts had two hits and two RBIs each, and Smith scored three runs.