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Pederson raps 20th HR, nears NL rookie mark

Dodgers outfielder two away from record for dingers before July

PHOENIX -- Dodgers rookie slugger Joc Pederson continues to polish up the resume for All-Star consideration.

Pederson was one of three Dodgers to homer off Arizona starting pitcher Allen Webster on Monday night, all in the fourth inning of a 10-6 loss to the D-backs. With 20 homers, Pederson trails Wally Berger (22 in 1930) and Albert Pujols (21 in 2001) for the most homers by a National League rookie before July 1.

One week ago, he surpassed Mike Piazza's 1993 franchise rookie record of 19 home runs before the All-Star break. Piazza also holds the full-season Dodgers rookie record with 35 homers. The NL rookie record is 38, set by Berger and matched by Frank Robinson in 1956, while Dodgers batting coach Mark McGwire holds the Major League rookie record with 49 long balls in 1987.

On Wednesday, Pederson set a Dodgers rookie record by homering in his fifth straight game, which also tied the franchise record for consecutive games with a homer.

Pederson's homer to right-center field Monday had an exit speed of 108 mph and was projected by Statcast™ to land 458 feet away. It was his third-longest home run of the year.

Pederson ranks among overall NL leaders in homers, on-base percentage (.384), slugging percentage (.529), OPS (.913) and walks (55). In three career games at Chase Field, he has a double, two homers and two RBIs. He leads the Dodgers with 45 runs scored in 77 games played.

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Los Angeles Dodgers, Joc Pederson