The Los Angeles Dodgers’ winning streak reached four games backed by a three-homer day from the offense in a 6-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks got on the board first in the third inning, but the Dodgers responded with a six-run bottom half of the inning, backed by three home runs.
Kiké Hernández hit the first of them to lead off the inning, which tied the game at 1-1. Singles from Miguel Rojas and Mookie Betts, along with a walk from Shohei Ohtani, loaded the bases.
Freddie Freeman then blasted a grand slam to center field, giving the Dodgers a four-run lead. That was Freeman’s sixth career grand slam, and after “Freddie” chants broke out, he took a curtain call to thank the fans.
Following Freeman’s grand slam, Will Smith followed with a home run of his own, capping off the six-run inning.
That was the 2nd time this season the Dodgers have gone back-to-back. The other was May 6 against the Miami Marlins with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto made the start, and he once again showed he’s a legit ace of the pitching staff, along with Tyler Glasnow.
Yamamoto pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. His first seven strikeouts all came on swings and misses, and he showed off his entire arsenal, getting whiffs on the fastball, slider, curveball and splitter.
The first run he allowed came on a double from Kevin Newman, that was followed by a single from Joc Pederson. The second came in the seventh inning on a single from Newman, following a double from Eugenio Suárez.
Following Yamamoto, Anthony Banda and Elieser Hernández combined to pitch 1.2 innings. Hernández gave up solo homers to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jake McCarthy, back-to-back.
Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth to record the save.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto reaches 100-pitch mark for 1st time with Dodgers
Yamamoto exited after throwing 100 pitches, which marked the first time in his Dodgers’ career that he’s reached that total. Prior to the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about the caution with allowing Yamamoto and being limited to fewer than 100 pitches each start.
“Not planned for the whole season,” Roberts answered. “I have been mindful on his usage early on in the season as he can continue to build a foundation. But if tonight goes well, and it makes sense, I could see him pushing past 100 pitches tonight. I could see that.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
