(SportsNetwork.com) – The Los Angeles Dodgers try to power their way to a
third straight victory on Saturday evening when they resume a three-game set
with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers hit a trio of homers to win Friday’s opener 8-0, with Joc Pederson
highlighting a five-run second inning with a grand slam. It was his fifth home
run of the season.
Andre Ethier and Justin Turner launched solo shots for the Dodgers, who have
won five of their last seven games. Carlos Frias scattered four hits and
walked one over 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
“Carlos was really good. His slider was good, he threw a lot of strikes but he
ran out of gas in the sixth,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
Rubby De La Rosa surrendered five runs on three hits and three walks over five
frames for Arizona, which has dropped five of its last seven contests.
“It was one inning he got in trouble with walks and Pederson hit one. When you
give free passes you get penalized for it,” Arizona catch Tuffy Gosewisch said
of De La Rosa.
Arizona’s Jeremy Hellickson will try to bounce back in his second career start
versus the Dodgers.
Hellickson fell to 1-3 with a 5.24 earned run average in four starts on the
year with an 8-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The righty yielded four runs on
seven hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings and has allowed 31 hits and eight
walks in 22 1/3 frames this season.
“When he gets in trouble, he doesn’t control the count,” said D-backs manager
Chip Hale. “When you fall behind good hitters, they’re going to get you.”
The 28-year-old lost the only other time he faced the Dodgers, giving up four
runs over three innings.
With Brandon McCarhty and Hyun-Jin Ryu out due to injury, 33-year-old Scott
Baker will make his second start tonight for the Dodgers.
Baker lasted seven innings in his Dodgers debut on Sunday, yielding three runs
on four hits and two walks over seven innings. However, he did allow a pair of
homers in the 3-1 loss while striking out six.
“I was a little jumpy at first but I felt like I settled down,” Baker said.
“There were a couple of pitches that I would like to have back. I didn’t mind
the (Alexi) Amarista home run (in the third inning) but a couple of two-strike
pitches that I think I could have executed better.”
The righty is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two career meetings with the D-backs.
The Diamondbacks won two of three at home versus the Dodgers from April 10-12,
but Los Angeles has still won nine of the previous 12 meetings.
