The Los Angeles Dodgers looked to end their seven-game road trip on a high note as they faced the Milwaukee Brewers in an afternoon rubber match at Miller Park. Kenta Maeda, arguably the Dodgers’ No. 1 starter after it was announced that ace Clayton Kershaw would need a stint on disabled list to rehab his back, squared off against Zach Davies.
The Brewers’ right-hander, who hand’t suffered a loss in his last 10 starts, gave up a one-out single to Corey Seager in the first inning. That extended Seager’s hitting streak to a career-high 13 games.
He then went first to third base on a Justin Turner base-hit to left-center field. Davies escaped the jam on an Adrian Gonzalez shallow fly out and Howie Kendrick strikeout. After striking out leadoff man Jonathan Villar in the bottom of the first, Maeda gave up a single, hit Ryan Braun with an 0-2 fastball and walked Chris Carter to load the bases.
Aaron Hill’s sacrifice fly gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Maeda threw 27 pitches in the first inning but limited the damage to one run. The Dodgers answered in the top of the second as Yasiel Puig walked to start the inning. Trayce Thompson broke out of his recent rut with a towering two-run home run to put the Dodgers in front, 2-1.
After settling in and retiring eight straight batters, Maeda gave up a two-out single to Braun in the bottom of the third. Nothing came of it, however, as Maeda struck out the next hitter to end the inning. Yasmani Grandal added to the Dodgers lead in the top of the fourth on a two-out solo home run.
Maeda struck out two while retiring Milwaukee in order in the bottom of the inning. The long ball came into play once again for the Dodgers in the top of the fifth as Chase Utley led off with a single up the middle, which was followed by a two-run shot to center field by Seager.
Davies then gave up a single to Gonzalez and walked Kendrick, marking the end of his day with one out in the fifth. Right-handed reliever Michael Blazek took over for the Brewers and gave up an RBI single to the first batter he saw, Puig.
Villar hit a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth and soon after found himself on third base as Maeda’s pickoff throw got away and so did Utley’s throw back to the infield. Scooter Gennett extended the inning by drawing a walk, but Maeda induced Braun into a force out.
Grandal walked to open the sixth and Seager was intentionally walked to put runners on the corners with two outs. Turner worked a full count and pulled the 10th pitch of his at-bat into left field for an RBI single that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 7-1.
Jhan Martinez entered for Brewers and promptly gave up an RBI double to Gonzalez. Maeda hit Carter with a pitch to put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the sixth. Maeda then retired the next three batters to complete another scoreless inning.
The Dodgers failed to cash in a Puig leadoff double in the seventh, while Casey Fien worked around a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning. Fien tossed a second scoreless inning of relief, and J.P. Howell took care of the ninth to wrap up the Dodgers’ 8-1 victory.
