After losing the longest regular-season game in Dodger Stadium history, the Los Angeles Dodgers took the field Saturday night hoping to get back in the win column and move to 2-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That’s exactly what they are able to do, scoring early and often against Diamondbacks starter Zack Godley to come away with a convincing 18-5 victory.
It was actually the Diamondbacks who got on the scoreboard first on a leadoff home run off the bat of Jarrod Dyson against Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda. Los Angeles quickly returned the favor though as Joc Pederson hit a leadoff home run of his own in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one.
The Dodgers typically score most of their runs on home runs, but they changed things up in the third when they singled the Diamondbacks and Godley to death.
Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger and A.J. Pollock all had run-scoring singles in what ended up being a four-run inning for the Dodgers to take a 5-1 lead.
They got back to their home run ways in the bottom of the fifth though when Bellinger launched a solo shot to right, his second of the season.
Maeda looked very strong in his first start of the season after giving up the leadoff homer. He gave up two more solo home runs to Alex Avila in the fifth and Adam Jones in the seventh, but overall tossed 6.2 innings while allowing just the three runs. He gave up five hits while striking out five and walking two to earn his first victory of the season.
Maeda got it done with the bat as well in the bottom of the sixth, blooping in a double for his first hit of the season. That started a five-run rally as the Dodgers once again single the Diamondbacks to death.
Corey Seager, Bellinger and Max Muncy all had run-scoring singles in the inning, while Turner drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home another run.
The Dodgers then added seven more runs in the bottom of the eighth with Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy on the mound. Bellinger added a second home run, and Austin Barnes went yard as well.
Brock Stewart gave up two runs in 1.1 innings of work in relief of Maeda, and then Russell Martin made his first career pitching appearance to close out the victory.
