LOS ANGELES -- There’s no denying that Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith are the engines that make the Dodgers offense go. But when the team is at its best, it’s often Max Muncy who is in the middle of the action.

The Dodgers’ third baseman played a pivotal role in the 11-2 blowout win over the Braves on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, completing his first career three-homer game in a 4-for-5 effort at the plate.

Muncy became the first Dodger to hit three homers in a game since Trayce Thompson did it on April 1, 2023. Muncy's eighth homer ties Shohei Ohtani, who also went deep Saturday, for the team lead.

“It was really cool,” Muncy said. “First time I’ve ever done that, so that’s obviously a really cool moment for me. I’ve felt good at the plate last couple weeks. I know the results aren’t always there, but I feel like I’ve put together some decent at-bats and sometimes you get tough pitches. Tonight I feel like I was able to just get the barrel to the ball a little bit better.”

Though seemingly everyone in the Dodgers’ lineup contributed on Saturday, it was Muncy who got things started in the second inning. He opened up the scoring with a two-run no-doubter off right-hander Bryce Elder.

“It was just a collective effort,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “And it started with Max with that two-run homer and [he] just took good ABs.”

In the seventh, Muncy added some more cushion to the Dodgers’ lead, hitting his second homer of the night, his 15th career multi-homer game. Just an inning later, Muncy admitted that hitting a third homer crept into his mind. He did it with perhaps his most impressive swing of the night, hitting an opposite-field shot off right-hander Jackson Stephens that just cleared the left-center field wall.

“To me the best indication was the first one being to center field,” Muncy said. “That’s just something that, with my approach, I try to stay through the center of the field. I’m obviously going to pull the ball more than I’m not. That’s just how it’s always going to be. But my approach is always to the center of the field, so whenever I’m able to actually do that, that to me is the best indicator.”

Those indicators are also backed up by the numbers over the last week. Over his last seven games, Muncy is 10-for-27 with four homers and two doubles. Getting Muncy going at that clip makes the Dodgers’ lineup almost impossible to navigate through.

“I think the thing is, that even that first base hit he got, line drive off a sinker, hitting the ball hard, hitting it far when he needs to get a hit,” Roberts said. “I think he’s just getting back to being a better hitter and not just a one-dimensional slugger. We haven’t seen that backside home run in a long time.”

While Muncy and the rest of the lineup crushed the Braves’ pitching staff, it was all more than enough considering how Tyler Glasnow was pitching on Saturday. Glasnow allowed two runs on five hits and struck out 10 over seven innings. He locked up his sixth win of the season, tied with the Phillies' Ranger Suárez for first in the Majors.

“I think, honestly, it was probably after the fourth or so that I felt pretty good,” Glasnow said. “I think velo and stuff was there when I wanted it to be like later in the at-bats and stuff. And then as the game kept going, I just kept feeling better and better.”

Just two weeks ago, the Dodgers wrapped up one of their worst homestands in recent memory. But now they’re playing their best baseball of the young season, winning 10 of their last 12, including a pair against the Braves, a team they expect to see sometime in October.

On Saturday, it was the power of Muncy at the plate and Glasnow’s power on the mound that got them going.

“Our guys have done a good job of showing me what a complete baseball game looks like,” Roberts said.