No Belli? No problem: Dodgers hit 4 homers

You’re probably tired of hearing about the Dodgers’ depth. Opponents are tired of dealing with it.

But there it was again on Saturday night. With Cody Bellinger and his .139 batting average sitting in the stands, the Dodgers reached far down the bench and got home runs from Edwin Ríos, Matt Beaty, AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor in an 11-2 blowout over the D-backs at Chase Field.

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The Dodgers are so deep that when they took scorching shortstop Corey Seager out to rest a cramped calf muscle in the sixth inning -- he’ll be re-evaluated Sunday -- Taylor took over for him and slugged a three-run bomb.

Seager took a foul ball off the calf Friday night but stayed in and homered for the third consecutive game. He felt well enough to start Saturday, smoked a liner off pitcher Luke Weaver but was thrown out, doubled and singled before grounding out and running slowly to first base before leaving.

The Dodgers’ depth isn’t limited to position players. After six effective innings from winning starter Julio Urías, the Dodgers received scoreless innings from relievers Brusdar Graterol, Dennis Santana and Jake McGee, who are well down a bullpen depth chart that is topped by Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen, Joe Kelly and Pedro Báez.

“Whenever I’m asked the question, What makes a good manager, I always say, ‘Good players,’” said Dave Roberts. “We have a lot of good players. The opportunity for those guys to play, to contribute, was huge. And for Cody to sit back and cheer on his friends was a good thing, he’s recharged, and we’ve got the big boy going [Sunday].”

The big boy is Clayton Kershaw, whom the Dodgers have been without while launching a 6-3 beginning to this season like no other.

Ríos, starting at third base with Justin Turner the designated hitter, launched a 434-foot two-run shot off the girders in center field with one out in the fourth inning to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. It was Ríos’ second home run of the week and sixth in only 54 Major League at-bats.

“During quarantine time, I slowed the game down and went back to the basics,” said Ríos. “It’s working out pretty good, and I have to keep it going. I have to enjoy every moment.”

One out later, Beaty pulled his first home run of the season just inside the foul pole and into the Dodgers’ bullpen. Beaty and Ríos were roommates in the Minor Leagues. Beaty started at first base and essentially made the lineup because Bellinger did not.

“I was just trying to hit the ball halfway as far as Eddie did a couple of at-bats before,” joked Beaty. “It’s really fun to watch. When he’s locked in, he’s as good as anybody we’ve got.”

Arizona scored in the first inning against Urías on Eduardo Escobar’s RBI single and a second run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Carson Kelly. The Dodgers retook the lead on Turner’s two-run triple in the fifth that chased Arizona starter Luke Weaver. Joc Pederson singled home Turner, and Pollock followed with a two-run homer.

Turner’s triple hit off the center-field fence and kicked away from all three outfielders. It was Turner’s ninth career triple and first since 2018.

“I’ve hit nine triples?” Turner asked. “Oh, my goodness. This is a funky little yard. Out in center, some funky things can happen. [Third-base coach Dino Ebel] gave me the hands-up sign to slow down early at third, and I wasn’t mad at him at all.”

Turner felt he owed his teammates a contribution after the Dodgers’ 5-3 loss on Friday, when he preceded Christian Walker’s three-run double by failing to make a play on Ketel Marte’s sharp bouncer that deflected off the mound. It was ruled an error.

“I take a lot of responsibility for that one [Friday],” he said. “Got a little weird hop on Marte on a play I should have made, and it led to a big inning. Glad to help here and contribute to a win tonight.”