Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman provided a familiar — and successful — script for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who bounced back from being shut out for the first time this season with a 14-1 blowout of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Betts and Freeman went a combined 7-for-10 with three doubles and five RBI. Freeman’s 18 doubles through the first 44 games of a season tied Jackie Robinson for most in Dodgers franchise history.
Betts opened the game with a leadoff double and Freeman followed that with an RBI extra-base hit of his own to provide L.A. with an early lead.
Chris Taylor added an RBI double in the second inning and Freeman hit his first home run since April 24. The Dodgers opened the floodgates with another four-run inning in the sixth, started by Freeman’s RBI double that brought in Betts.
Trea Turner, who earlier in the night extended his hitting streak to 18 games, followed Freeman with an RBI triple. Will Smith drove in his second run of the game on a single, and Cody Bellinger capped off the scoring with an RBI ground-rule double.
Taylor hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning, and the Dodgers scored another pair of runs off shortstop Jake Hager in the ninth. All nine starters had multiple hits in the same game for only the second time since the team moved to Los Angeles.
Mitch White allowed just two hits and two walks as he got through four scoreless innings. The Dodgers used four relief pitchers to cover the game’s final five innings. Though, one of those was Hanser Alberto, who pitched the ninth for a second time this season.
Christian Walker prevented the Diamondbacks from being shut out with a solo home run off Evan Phillips in the sixth inning. The homer was Walker’s 64th of his career, of which 15 have come against the Dodgers.
Phillips becomes latest Dodgers pitcher to bat
The universal designated hitter effectively marked the end of pitchers batting, Thursday proved to be an exception.
Because of various defensive replacements, the Dodgers lost their DH spot in the lineup and it resulted in Evan Phillips getting a chance to bat. He drew a two-out walk in the eighth inning, much to the delight of the Dodgers dugout.
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