Yasiel Puig’s Three-Run Homerun Gives Dodgers Easter Win

Dodgers 4 5 1

Diamondbacks 1 3 0

WP- Wright (1-0)

LP- Collmenter (0-2)

S- Jansen (7)

HR- Puig (2)

Arizona barely makes a peep in the 4-1 Dodger win on Easter Sunday.

The D-backs are now 5-16 on the season after falling to the Dodgers on Easter Sunday (and Don Mattingly’s 53rd birthday) at Dodger Stadium. Josh Beckett hasn’t won a game since 2012, but after pitching excellently and only allowing a lone hit over five shutout innings he’ll have to wait a bit longer. Jamey Wright picked up the win, and Kenley Jansen looked like his old self by striking out the side in the ninth and collecting his seventh save. Josh Collmenter silenced the Dodger bats until the sixth inning when Kirk Gibson made a huge mistake by intentionally walking Adrian Gonzalez to get to Yasiel Puig. After Gordon singled and Crawford tripled to bring in a run, Puig smashed his second homerun of the season, a three-run blast, to give the Dodgers a big four-run inning.

Apr 20, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Josh Beckett (61) throws in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The D-backs only mustered three hits in the game, but they did manage to score once in the seventh on a Goldschmidt single and a Chavez double. That would not be enough for the lowly Snakes who lost their 16th game on the season and their third series of the season to the Dodgers.  How long will Kevin Towers and Kirk Gibson last? Will they make it to the All-Star Break?

Here’s how the Easter Sunday victory went down…

Josh Beckett begins the game by striking out lead-off hitter Gerardo Parra. Cliff Pennington pops out to Dee Gordon at second. Paul Goldschmidt flies out to center, and Beckett has a very nice 1-2-3 inning in the first.

Josh Collmenter counters with a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the home half of the first. Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez both strike out against the right-hander.

The D-backs are Puig’d in the top of the second. Miguel Montero singles into the right field corner, and Puig makes an incredible accurate throw whirling around after picking up the ball in the corner by the foul pole to get Montero out at second! Wow, that was amazing. Juan Uribe also makes a nice play to spear a Aaron Hill line drive. Eric Chavez strikes out to end the inning.

Adrian Gonzalez opens up the bottom of the second with a double past the diving Goldy along the first base line. Puig strikes out swinging. Andre Ethier flies out. Uribe walks, but Tim Federowicz pops out.

Beckett pitches another scoreless frame in the top of the third and only allows a lead-off walk to Mark Trumbo.

Collmenter strikes out Beckett to begin the bottom of the third. Gordon and Crawford both ground out.

Apr 20, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Josh Collmenter (55) throws in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Beckett walks the lead-off guy, Pennington, in the top of the fourth. Goldschmidt is awarded first base after FedEx is called for catcher’s interference, AGAIN. FedEx has been called for interference twice in the series. Montero grounds into a much needed double play. Beckett rears back to strike out Hill, and the inning is over without any damage done.

In the bottom of the fourth, Gonzo barely misses hitting a homerun to right field when it goes just foul. He strikes out thereafter, and the Dodgers go down in order once again.

Beckett is pitching very well, and he strikes out both Chavez and Pollack for a perfect fifth inning. Beckett now has 7 strikeouts.

Ethier leads off the bottom of the fifth with a single to right. That’s just the second Dodger hit and third hit overall in the game. Uribe pops out, and FedEx grounds into the dreaded inning ending double play.

Beckett is going to call it a day after pitching 5 shutout innings and only allowing one hit while striking out 7 and walking 2 on 83 pitches. Jamey Wright will take over in the sixth. Apparently Beckett, Ethier, and some of the other Dodgers have been battling colds and the flu this past week. Wright strikes out Collmenter, Parra grounds out, and Pennington grounds out. Jamey only needs 8 pitches to retire the side.

Jamey Wright will bat for himself leading off the bottom of the sixth. Collmenter easily takes care of the pitcher by striking him out. Gordon singles to center. Someone finally comes up with a big hit, and Crawford triples to the right field corner! Gordon scores, and the Dodgers take a 1-0 lead. Hanley pops out, and Kirk Gibson decides to intentionally walk Gonzo to take his chances with Puig. Big mistake. Puig proceeds to crush a three-run homerun to center field! Dodgers now lead 4-0.

In the seventh, Wright allows a single to Goldy and a walk to Montero. Don Mattingly will make a double switch. Matt Kemp comes into replace Ethier in center field, and Chris Perez will come in to pitch. A.J. Pollack also had to come out of the game for Arizona with a stiff neck. Hill flies out to left, but he just got under that ball. Chavez proceeds to double, and the Snakes plate a run, 4-1. Perez recovers, and he strikes out Trumbo and Tony Campana who had come in to the game to replace Pollack.

Apr 20, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) watches his 3-run homer off of Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Josh Collmenter (55) in the 6th inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Randall Delgado takes over for Josh Collmenter in the bottom of the seventh. Collmenter went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks on 89 pitches. Delgado strikes out Uribe and Kemp in the 1-2-3 inning.

Instead of using Brian Wilson in the eighth, Perez is in and retires Chris Owings on a groundout. J.P. Howell will not be brought in to pitch to Parra who strikes out swinging. Howell walks Pennington, but Goldy grounds into the force out to end the inning.

Joe Thatcher is in for the bottom of the eighth for Arizona. The Dodgers go down in order and we head to the ninth.

Kenley Jansen is in for the top of the ninth. Jansen blows Montero away with a 97-mph fastball for the first out. Aaron Hill strikes out on a 81-mph changeup. Eric Chavez strikes out on a 98-mph Kenley heater, and the Dodgers win!

The Dodgers improve to 12-7 and have now won 7 out of 8 against Arizona this season. Monday night the Philadelphia Phillies come in to town for a four-game set at Dodger Stadium. Paul Maholm will counter Cliff Lee.