After a lackluster offensive performance on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked to get back on track Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodgers Stadium.
That is exactly what they did, as they scored early and often against Phillies starter Zach Eflin, resulting in an 8-2 victory.
Matt Kemp continued his torrid pace at the plate, getting the Dodgers on the scoreboard with a two-out double in the first inning to score Joc Pederson.
The Dodgers big inning then came in the third, starting with a solo home run off the bat of Max Muncy. After Yasmani Grandal walked, Kemp launched a two-run shot to left to extend the Dodgers lead to 4-0.
Eflin’s rough outing continued in the fourth, with Breyvic Valera and Logan Forsythe both singling to begin the inning. Ross Stripling attempted a sacrifice bunt to move them over, but Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro could not come up with it and everybody was safe. Pederson hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0, and Eflin’s night was done after four innings.
The offensive outburst continued in the fifth against the Phillies bullpen. Cody Bellinger hit a one-out single and scored on a double by Chris Taylor. Stripling got in on the action later in the inning with an RBI-single to make it 7-0. All nine Dodgers in the starting lineup had at least one hit on the night.
Another run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kemp gave the Dodgers eighth runs on 13 hits for the night. Kemp drove in four of those runs.
While all of that was going on, Stripling turned in another solid outing on the mound. He did not give up a run in his first six innings of work, retiring 11 straight batters at one point.
Nick Williams led off the seventh with a solo home run to break Stripling’s shutout, but he was still able to get through seven innings allowing just one run while striking out nine.
Yimi Garcia tossed a scoreless eighth and Pat Venditte gave up just one run in the ninth for the Dodgers, completing the 8-2 victory.
