The Dodgers have some organizational familiarity with Sutter Health Park, as the temporary home of the A's is one of the Pacific Coast League destinations for L.A.'s Triple-A affiliate. So they came into Monday night with a loose idea of what to expect before playing their first big league contest at the ballpark. "If you are behind, keep going," manager Dave Roberts said before the game. "I’m not saying it’s Denver, but the ball does carry.” That proved true for both sides, but it was the Dodgers who came out on top, riding a trio of long balls from Max Muncy, Andy Pages and Shohei Ohtani to a series-opening 9-4 win over the A's. Starter Eric Lauer surrendered a homer of his own as one of a season-high nine hits, but was still able to provide a quality start. "The boys are rolling good right now," Muncy said. "We're taking a lot of really good at-bats. We're starting to get some healthy pieces back also. It's a boost to everybody." L.A. struck first in the second inning against A's starter Gage Jump. Teoscar Hernández provided a jolt in his return from a strained left hamstring, beating out an infield single and going first to third on a Kyle Tucker sun ball before scoring on a Muncy single. Dalton Rushing drove in Tucker to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. But in the bottom of the second, the A's surged ahead by one run. Lauer surrendered a solo shot to Colby Thomas to open the inning, then gave up another two runs on three singles and a forceout. The southpaw continued to labor through a third inning in which he stranded the bases loaded, but his pitch count swelled to 59 pitches.
