Editorials

Recap: Pederson Hits Key Home Run, Dodgers Win Behind Late Offense

Danny Moloshok-AP Photo
Danny Moloshok-AP Photo

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The Los Angeles Dodgers relied on three home runs, including a Joc Pederson grand slam to cruise to a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night and turned to Scott Baker Saturday in search of their 12th home win on the season.



Baker quickly got into trouble in the first inning as Ender Inciarte opened the game with double. After the Dodgers’ starter retired the next batter, Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run to give the Diamondbacks an early lead.

Yasmany Tomas hit a two-out double, but Baker managed to get out of the inning without allowing any further damage. The Dodgers didn’t take long to respond as Justin Turner hit a solo home run off Jeremy Hellickson. Howie Kendrick followed with a base hit and scored on Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI double to tie the game.

Scott Van Slyke struck out and Andre Ethier flied out to leave Gonzalez stranded in scoring position. Jordan Pacheco drew a leadoff walk in the second inning and took third on Cliff Pennington’s single down the left field line.

However, rather than having two runners in scoring position with no outs, Van Slyke threw out Pennington on his attempt to stretch the single into a double. Inciarte remained perfect on the night with a two-out RBI single to center that gave the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead.

Yasmani Grandal hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the second, but the Dodgers squandered the opportunity to tie the game as Kiké Hernandez lined out, and Baker and Pederson struck out. Facing the heart of the Diamondbacks lineup in the third, Baker needed just 14 pitches to retire the side in order for the first time in the game.

Turner drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third and advanced to second base on Gonzalez’s groundout. The Dodgers cashed in on the productive out behind Van Slyke’s RBI single that tied the game at 3-3.

However, the Dodgers quickly fell behind for the third time on the night as Aaron Hill led off the fourth with a solo home run. Baker rebounded to retire the next two batters he faced and struck out Inciarte to end the inning after Hellickson reached on an infield single.

Grandal reached for the second time of the night with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, but he was erased for the second out on Baker’s unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt. Pederson was then called out on strikes and the Dodgers trailed, 4-3, heading to the fifth inning.

CONTINUE READING: Dodgers Offense Continues To Get Them Back In The Game

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