Steve Webb
PHOENIX, AZ — Well, it wasn’t quite 24 hits and 14 runs, but it was plenty good. Once again the Dodgers proved why they are such a formidable offensive force. They got three home runs off their old nemesis Madison Bumgarner, and cashed them on the way to a 6-4 victory against the D-backs on Friday night.
Pepiot gets start, pitches into the fifth
It was another Ryan Pepiot night, as the Dodgers turned to the right-handed prospect for the third time this month. While the the team waits out the injuries to Kershaw and Heaney, Pepiot is emerging as the best option from among the minor leaguers. On Friday, he had a little trouble finding the strike zone, but acquitted himself pretty well.
If he could only have recorded two more outs in the fifth, it would have been his first big league victory. Unfortunately, the Snakes loaded up the bases on a couple of singles and a walk. So, Pepiot had to give way to Brusdar Graterol, who got out of the jam, but gave up a sac fly that tarnished Pepiot’s line for the night. Still, his final numbers looked good: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K. It was a step in the right direction as the young prospect continues to gain valuable big league experience.
Rios, Betts, and Turner provide the power
After going scoreless in the top of the first, the Dodgers got to work in the 2nd inning. Justin Turner led off with a walk, and after a couple of outs, Hanser Alberto delivered a single to get a little rally started. That brought up Edwin Rios, hitting in the nine-hole against the lefty Bumgarner. But the lefty-lefty thing didn’t seem to bother Rios at all. MadBum got ahead 1-2, but made a mistake up and in. Rios turned on that pitch and put his sweet left-handed swing on it, and just drilled it into the right field seats. Just like that it was 3-0.
Mookie Betts kept the fun going in the very next at-bat. He took a ball very wide, but the second Bumgarner returned to the strike zone, Mookie was ready to pounce. He obliterated a cutter and deposited it among the paying customers in left field for a second straight big fly of the inning.
The Dodgers tacked on a fifth run in the 6th on a Trea Turner solo shot, and then took advantage of some sloppy defense from the Arizona outfield to push across another run, this time courtesy of a Trea Turner single. Turner was 2-for-5 in this one, extending his hitting streak to 19 games.
Kimbrel struggles to shut things down
After Graterol finished the 5th and pitched a scoreless 6th, Alex Vesia came in for the 7th inning. He looked all right, but surrendered a run on three hits. Daniel Hudson hit a couple of guys, but threw a scoreless 8th, aided by a double play ball.
Finally, Craig Kimbrel came on for the ninth. It was a non-save situation, and Kimbrel was not sharp. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. But when it finally mattered, he got slugger Christian Walker to ground out to short and David Peralta to ground to second for the final two outs of the game. Whew!
Now assured of a winning road trip, the Dodgers try to win their fourth straight series with a victory on Saturday. This will be a Fox exclusive, so you’re going to adjust your viewing schedule accordingly. 4:00 start time. Tony Gonsolin vs. righty Merrill Kelly.
Cans of Corn…
- The Dodgers announced that Gil Hodges‘s number 14 will be retired on June 4th before a game with the Mets.
- To make room for Pepiot on the roster, Phil Bickford was optioned to OKC.
- With his 13th HR on Friday, Mookie Betts stays atop the NL leaderboard in that category.
- As usual, big Dodger fan presence in the stands at Chase Field.
- Kimbrel. Wow. We’ve traded one set of 9th inning headaches for another.
