Seager's big night keeps Dodgers' lead intact
PHOENIX -- The Dodgers rebounded from Friday night's blowout loss with a four-homer outburst Saturday night and a 9-5 win over the D-backs at Chase Field.
Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager, filling in for the injured Jimmy Rollins, went 4-for-4 with a walk, including his first Major League home run and a double. Also homering for the Dodgers were Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson. Crawford left the game with right-hamstring tightness.
•Crawford day to day with tight hamstring
Pederson had three hits, showing signs of breaking out of a months-long slump.
"Some of the work he's been doing for a while now is paying off a little bit," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "It's good to see."
A pitching matchup between Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa and the Dodgers' Mike Bolsinger, both facing their former clubs, deteriorated quickly. De La Rosa allowed six runs in two innings, while Bolsinger took a 7-0 lead into the fourth inning but couldn't get out of it. J.P. Howell was credited with the victory, even though he made only one pitch. He was one of seven Dodgers relievers to pitch.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Could've had more: The D-backs came away with three runs in the fourth inning, but they could have had more. With one out and runners on second and third, the Dodgers intentionally walked Paul Goldschmidt to load the bases and then brought in lefty Howell to face the left-handed hitting David Peralta, who flied out to end the inning.
"Yeah, they did a good job of pitching around Goldy there and then brought the lefty in for David," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "That was a good chance for us, but [Howell] just beat him."
Video: LAD@ARI: Howell ends bases-loaded jam in 4th
Old-school response: When former Dodgers phenom De La Rosa came up and in on current phenom Seager in the third inning with a 97-mph fastball, plate umpire Brian O'Nora responded by warning both benches. The 21-year-old Seager had a better response, sending an RBI single back up the middle. Mattingly said O'Nora told him he issued the warning because he received "an email" from MLB's New York office.
Video: ARI@LAD: Seager plates Ethier with single in the 3rd
Tough break: Seager led off the fifth and hit a high pop fly down the left-field line toward the seats. Left fielder Peralta raced over and reached to make the catch when a fan stuck his glove above Peralta's and caught the ball. On the very next pitch, Seager homered to right to put the Dodgers up 8-3. More >
"That was probably my mistake," Hale said. "That's a challengeable play. We heard [the fan] was in the field of play and it was questionable whether David was going to get there. It looked like David was going to get under the ball, but he wasn't camping under it. I don't know if we would have gotten it overturned, but I probably should have taken a shot."
Video: ARI@LAD: Peralta robbed of catch by overzealous fan
Tough on righties: Dodgers reliever Juan Nicasio lived up to his reputation by striking out Goldschmidt with one run in and one runner on base to end the sixth inning and protect a four-run lead.
QUOTABLE
"The last game I gave up two home runs with offspeed pitches, this game five or six straight hits on offspeed pitches, and that's my bread and butter, the curve and slider, it's what I need to work on." -- Bolsinger
"This park is a lot like Colorado, you see inflated numbers, it's a hitting ballpark and you feel the game is not really ever over and you see that tonight. They keep playing, that's one thing you know they'll do, they keep coming at you." -- Mattingly
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Seager is the first player 21 years old or younger to go 4-for-4 (or better) with a home run and a stolen base in the same game since Ken Griffey Jr. did so in 1989, at the age of 19. Seager is only the fifth player 21 or younger to do it since at least 1914, joining Griffey, Joe Morgan, Orlando Cepeda and Jimmie Foxx. More >
Video: LAD@ARI: Seager crushes first home run at 110.3 MPH
Seager is also the third-youngest player since at least 1914 to go 4-for-4 (or better) with a home run and a stolen base in the same game. The only ones to do it at a younger age are Ken Griffey Jr. (19 years, 156 days old on April 26, 1989) and Orlando Cepeda (20 years, 225 days on April 30, 1958).
And he's the first Dodgers rookie to reach base safely in nine consecutive plate appearances since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
Video: ARI@LAD: Seager steals second base in the 1st
WHAT'S NEXT
Dodgers: Zack Greinke resumes his march to a possible Cy Young Award with the start in Sunday's series finale at 1:10 p.m. PT. Greinke is 6-3 in 13 career starts against Arizona, 5-2 at Chase Field, and 8-2 with a 1.99 ERA on the road this year.
D-backs: The D-backs wrap up the three-game set against the Dodgers with Patrick Corbin on the mound. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last three starts and has a 3.82 ERA in his career against the Dodgers.
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