The Los Angeles Dodgers stacking their lineup with a bevy of left-handed batters paid dividends as Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Corey Seager each hit a home run off Jake Arrieta in a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The win was the Dodgers’ MLB-best 39th this season.
The night was more of the same for Muncy and Pederson this season, while for Seager it was another encouraging sign of emerging from a slow start as he works to round into form after last year’s Tommy John and hip surgeries.
Muncy opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the third inning to give Kenta Maeda and the Dodgers a lead. Muncy finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk. Pederson’s blast more than halfway up the pavilion in right-center field broke a tie in the fifth inning, and Seager’s two-run shot extended the Dodgers’ lead.
The three home runs Arrieta allowed tied a career high, which he’s reached five times. Kiké Hernandez hit the Dodgers fourth home run, taking Juan Nicasio deep for an insurance run in the eighth.
That wound up being enough for the combination of Maeda, Ross Stripling, Pedro Baez, Dylan Floro and Kenley Jansen.
Maeda had five strikeouts through three no-hit innings before surrendering a leadoff homer to Andrew McCutchen in the fourth. He ran into more trouble in the fifth inning when a hit by pitch and single put two on with one out.
Maeda nearly wiggled out of the jam but allowed a game-tying RBI single to Arrieta with two outs. Maeda finished with six strikeouts and the two runs allowed on three hits. He threw 88 pitches and was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Stripling and Baez each issued a leadoff walk, and Floro allowed a bloop single. It did not result in a loss but nonetheless continued a troubling trend for a Dodgers bullpen that’s now seen 10 of the past 13 relief pitchers allow the leadoff man to reach base.
Stripling and Baez managed to complete one scoreless inning apiece, while Floro allowed a two-out RBI single. That prompted acting manager Bob Geren to call on Jansen for the final out of the game.
Bryce Harper went 0-for-4 on the night, stranding a baserunner in the eighth inning. Although he didn’t exactly spurn the Dodgers in free agency, Harper was booed mercifully.
