Ohtani, Betts and Freeman open with consecutive HRs, and Dodgers beat Diamondbacks 8-6
PHOENIX (AP) — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman started the game with consecutive home runs, the first time that has happened in the Dodgers’ 141-year history, and Tommy Edman hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to give Los Angeles an 8-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
Corbin Carroll hit an inside-the-park leadoff home run for Arizona.
Ohtani hit his 44th of the season — a 420-foot shot to dead center off of Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly. Betts followed with his 14th and Freeman on the very next pitch hit his 19th of the season 437 feet to right-center. It was the first time the three superstars had homered consecutively.
“We got good players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ben Casparius (1-0), in his major league debut, pitched a scoreless eighth for the NL West-leading Dodgers’ fourth straight victory. Evan Phillips retired the side in order in the ninth for his 18th save.
Ohtani added a sacrifice fly in the second and Freeman drove in another run with a single. Both runs were unearned because of Kelly’s error while attempting to get a force at third on Kevin Kiermaier’s bunt.
Kelly went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and six runs, four earned.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks.
Carroll’s inside-the-park homer to straightaway center in the first inning — a franchise first — was his fifth in five games. Center fielder Kiermaier leaped at the wall, but the ball bounced back toward the infield and Carroll scored standing up.
Carroll tied a Diamondbacks record by reaching base in his 39th straight start. The record was set by Jay Bell in the franchise’s first season, 1998.
Will Smith and Gavin Lux singled off Ryan Thompson (7-4) to start the ninth. Kiké Hernández sacrificed the runners to second and third and Edman looped a hit into shallow right field against Justin Martinez to score pinch runner Chris Taylor and Lux.
“That guy’s nasty, I was just trying to stay short and put it in play,” said Edman, who just returned from an injury after being acquired from St. Louis in July. “Fortunately I was able to hit it into the perfect spot.
“First big hit I’ve had with this team. Good to be a big part of that win tonight.”
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo wasn’t surprised that his team rallied right away after the Dodgers’ opening salvo. Arizona scored four in the bottom of the first but the Diamondbacks were held without a hit after Gurriel’s homer in the third.
“There was a lot of excitement in this building,” Lovullo said. “It was a good game. We fought as hard as we could, we just came up a little short.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Dodgers placed LHP Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day injured list. Reliever Joe Kelly also went on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. To replace them, the Dodgers recalled right-handers Brent Honeywell and Ben Casparius from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Another injured starter, Tyler Glasnow, expressed optimism before the game about returning to the Dodgers rotation before the end of the season.
NEXT
The Dodgers start LHP Justin Wrobleski (1-1, 4.68 ERA) against Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (8-7, 4.31) Sunday in the third of the four-game series.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
By JACK THOMPSON
Associated Press
