The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed Mookie Betts back to the lineup on Monday night, but the celebration was short-lived as the San Francisco Giants spoiled the party with a commanding 9-3 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Despite a promising start that saw the Dodgers tie the game in the sixth inning, a disastrous seventh inning from the bullpen turned the tide. Alex Vesia walked in a bases-loaded run, and Will Klein surrendered a two-RBI single to Willy Adames, putting the game out of reach.

Max Muncy provided a spark with his second consecutive home run, knotting the score at 3-3 in the sixth. However, the momentum was fleeting. The Dodgers' offense, while showing signs of life with four players recording multiple hits, couldn't sustain the rally.

Mookie Betts, returning from injury, went 1-for-5 in his first game back at shortstop. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani continued his puzzling slump, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

Roki Sasaki delivered an uneven performance on the mound, flashing brilliance at times but unraveling in the sixth inning. He allowed three hits and two runs in that frame, finishing with a line of 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, and 2 BB. It was a classic case of two steps forward, one step back for the young pitcher.

The Dodgers (24-17) now look to bounce back in the second game of this four-game series against the Giants (17-24). Tuesday's matchup features Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2, 3.09 ERA) for Los Angeles against Adrian Houser (0-4, 6.19 ERA) for San Francisco, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT.

For Dodgers fans, the return of Betts is a bright spot, but the team will need to find consistency—both at the plate and on the mound—to turn this series around.