Freddie Freeman’s grand slam on Monday keyed a six-run third inning, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a strong start as the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to four with a 6-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Freeman’s blast off Slade Cecconi (1-4) was part of an onslaught where the first six Dodgers got aboard and scored in the third.
Kike Hernandez and Will Smith also went deep in the inning as Los Angeles improved to 33-17. It is the ninth time in franchise history the Dodgers have at least 33 wins after 50 games.
Photo: AFP
Yamamoto (5-1) allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out eight in 6-1/3 innings. He threw a season-high 100 pitches, including 69 strikes.
It was the 18th time in 27 games a Dodgers’ starter has gone at least six innings.
Daniel Hudson retired the side in the ninth for his third save in five opportunities.
“Offensively we are doing enough to score some runs to win,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that there’s room to continue to get better consistency up and down the lineup, but the pitching has been what has been the impetus for this hot streak.”
Arizona’s Ketel Marte extended his hitting streak to 19 games. It is the longest run in the majors this season and tied for fifth-longest in franchise history.
Kyle Newman added three hits, his fifth multihit effort in the past nine games. Lourdes Gurriel Jr and Jake McCarthy had back-to-back homers in the eighth, but the Diamondbacks have dropped four of six.
Freeman’s grand slam was the sixth of his career and his third since the start of last season. He is one of seven players with three over the past two seasons.
The Dodgers are the only team in the majors with two players with at least three grand slams since the start of last year. Max Muncy leads the team with four.
“I’m not looking for the grand slam, but just trying to keep the line moving and get a base hit there. Ultimately, I was able to get it out,” Freeman said.
Elsewhere, San Diego edged Atlanta 6-5 in their early game on Monday, but the Braves blanked the Padres 3-0 in the late game, while the Toronto Blue Jays beat the White Sox 9-3 for their first consecutive win in more than three weeks.
The Cleveland Guardians defeated the New York Mets 3-1, the Boston Red Sox blanked the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0, the Washington Nationals dominated the Minnesota Twins 12-3 and the Miami Marlins topped the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in 10 innings.
The Seattle Mariners survived the New York Yankees 5-4, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-3, the St Louis Cardinals downed the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 and the Los Angeles Angels outplayed the Houston Astros 9-7.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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