They've Got The Power! Gonzo Slugs Dodgers To a Sweep

The Dodgers flexed their muscles by slugging three home runs to destroy the Snakes and sweep the three game series in a chippy 7-2 win. The Dodgers finish the season series against Arizona with a 15-4 record. Adrian Gonzalez the Dodgers butter and egg man was cooking omelets with a two home run, six runs driven in performance. His first three-run home run in the sixth gave the Dodgers the lead, and then he hit another three-run shot in the seventh. Gonzo now has 100 RBI on the season. He now has six 100+RBI seasons in his career.

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However the Dodgers nearly screwed this one up. The first five innings were excruciatingly painful to watch. The Dodgers were being no-hit until the sixth by right hander Trevor Cahill. He’s the one who was previously undefeated at Dodger Stadium. This is the fourth time the Dodgers have beaten Cahill this season. He only allowed two hits through 5.2 innings. But his weakness is his control. He lost that late in the game, and issued four walks to go along with his four whiffs.

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Maybe the Dodgers don’t score at all in the seventh though, had shortstop Cliff Pennington not flubbed Hanley’s easy double play grounder. The Dodgers took advantage of the mistake. That’s what good teams will do.

The Dodgers were down 2-0 early as the Snakes scored once in the second and the third off of Zack Greinke. The feathered starter was shaky early on, but then settled in after the third frame. He would only last for six innings but would still earn the win thanks to the Dodger offense. Arizona singled Greinke to death in the second. Some people would call that BABIP. Arizona had three consecutive singles from Montero, Ross, and Lamb. Thankfully Matt Kemp threw out a runner at the plate. His strong throw nailed Montero on Marte’s shallow fly to right. But Gregorius’s 15 foot RBI squibber up along first base would allow Ross to score giving the Snakes the lead.

Arizona plated their second run when Greinke walked Inciarte. Then with two outs, he walked Montero, and Ross’s line drive single to right would score Inciarte to put the Snakes ahead 2-0. The evil Ross would have three hits on the night for the Snakes.

The Dodgers would score three runs in the sixth, and four more in the seventh. Gordon’s one-out double would break up the no-hitter. Hanley walked, and Gonzo homered over the center field wall to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Tempers would flare in the seventh. Gordon would draw a one-out walk. Hanley’s grounder is flubbed by Pennington who couldn’t even get a force at second. That would be huge as Gonzo would follow with his second three-run home run of the day. The Dodgers lead 6-2! Then Kemp hit one out to put the Dodgers up 7-2! Kemp now has hit in 13 straight.

Ethier was hit by a pitch in the back and both benches are issued warnings by home plate umpire Laz Diaz. He ends up ejecting Mattingly, Tim Wallach, and poor Clayton Kershaw, who was doing nothing but yelling from the dugout. It’s sacrilegious to eject Kershaw Laz! I’m guessing Rick Honeycutt would manage the rest of the game?

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That would go just fine for the Dodgers. Right hander Carlos Frias continued his hot pitching with two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth frames. Brandon League not to be outdone followed up by striking out the side in the ninth.

The Dodgers are now a season high 19 games above .500. Their lead in the NL West goes to 2.5 games for the moment. We’ll await the Giants/Detroit game to see if it stays at two, or increases to three games. This is the fourth time the Dodgers have swept Arizona this season.

It was certainly nice to see the Dodger bats come to life. They’ve got the power. Read below to see how they got that power. This was quite a game.

They’ve got the power!

Zack Greinke walks off with a scoreless top of the first. Ender Inciarte is whiffed on a check-swing. Justin Turner throws out Chris Owings, and Gonzo does a nice toe dance to record the out on the wide throw. Then Mark Trumbo’s slicing fly to right is the third out.

The Dodgers go down in order against Cahill in their half of the first. Gordon whiffs. Owings makes a great play going up the ladder to snare Hanley’s liner, and Gonzo flies out to deep left. No score after one.

Arizona scores first in the top of the second. I guess the inning could have been worse, but the Dodgers were able to get out of it cheaply enough. The Snakes get four consecutive singles off Greinke. All four were of the piddly variety. Montero singles to left. Cody Ross’s ground ball trickles through the hole between first and second as Montero screens Gonzo. Then Jake Lamb singles to left to load the bases. Alfredo Marte’s fly ball to right is too shallow to score Montero, but he foolishly tries to tag up to score. Kemp guns him out at the plate for the second out, which keeps the Dbacks off the board for the moment.

Didi Gregorius’s ten foot squibber up along first base eludes Butera allowing Ross to score, giving the Snakes a 1-0 lead. Butera tried to underhand the ball to first, but Gregorius beats the throw. Greinke whiffs cahill to end the inning, but the Dbacks strike first.

The Dodgers go down in the bottom of the second. Arizona scores their second run in the third frame. Inciarte walks. After Owings flies to right, and Turmbo whiffs, Montero then walks. Ross’s RBI squibber rolls about 15 feet up the first base line. Butera’s underhanded throw to Gonzo is late, and Inciarte scores to put the Snakes up 2-0.

What the hell Laz?-Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers go down 123 again in the bottom of the third. Greinke settles in to record a 123 top of the fourth. The Dodgers get a one-out Hanley walk, and then he steals second. But Gonzo pops out, and Kemp whiffs.

Move to the bottom of the fifth. With the Dodgers trailing 2-0, they still have yet to get a hit. All they do get this inning is another one-out walk. This one by Turner, who also steals second. (Weird but awesome) But Puig pops out, and Butera whiffs. The Dodgers are still getting no-hit by Trevor Cahill.

Greinke has to battle to get through the sixth, but he does. After Montero grounds out, Ross doubles. Lamb’s ground out moves Ross to third. Greinke walks Marte to put runners at the corners. But he gets Gregorius to pop out to Gordon, and the Dodgers got out of it.

The Dodgers finally awake and score three runs to take the lead. Carl Crawford led off the inning hitting for Greinke, and lined out to left. But Gordon’s slicing double just inside the left field line gave the Dodgers their first hit of the night. Thank goodness. Then things unraveled quickly for Cahill.

Hanley walked. Then Gonzo slugs a three-run home run over the center field wall. The Dodgers take the lead 3-2! That’s number 21 this season for Gonzo! Then Cahill walks Ethier. Arizona hooks Cahill and brings in Evan Marshall. Turner singles to right. Puig also walks to load the bases. But pinch-hitter Joc Pederson whiffs to end the inning. The Dodgers have the lead though, by the score of 3-2.

Carlos Frias replaces Greinke in the top of the seventh. Frias whiffs Pennington. Inciarte flies to left, and Owings flies out to center. Nicely done!

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In the bottom of the seventh. Lefty Oliver Perez is on the mound. The inning gets a little chippy. It starts out innocently enough for the Dodgers. A.J. whiffs on a called third strike. Gordon walks. Then Hanley reaches on a fielding error from shortstop Cliff Pennington. He flubbed an easy double play ball. With Gonzo at the plate, there is a wild pitch that moves the runners to second and third.

Then Gonzo homers again! This time to left center field. The three-run shot would put the Dodgers up 6-2! As the crowd erupts in joy, the first baseman has a career high six runs driven in. Matt Kemp follows that up with a huge home run on the very next pitch! It’s now 7-2 Dodgers! Ethier is hit in the back by a pitch, and then it gets crazy.

Home plate umpire Laz Diaz issues warnings to both dugouts. Don Mattingly doesn’t like this and charges out of the Dodger dugout to argue with Laz. Go Donnie!

Soon afterwards Laz would eject Clayton Kershaw from the game. What the hell Laz!? Not only that but Mattingly, and bench coach Tim Wallach are all ejected. Arizona brings in Matt Stiles to relieve Perez. He gives up a single to Turner. Frias’s sacrifice attempt turns into a force out at third base to erase Ethier. Pederson flies out to end the frame. Frias turns in another fantastic inning in the top of the eighth. He whiffs Trumbo. Montero grounds out, and Ross flies out.

Move to the top of the ninth. Brandon League is on the mound to finish it off. League whiffs Lamb. Marte is called out on strikes, and pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco also whiffs. Dodgers win 7-2!

Greinke picks up his fourteenth win as the Dodgers use six hits. Three were of the home run variety. With that don’t forget to acquire all of your Dodger sweep needs at Broom Depot’s special midnight sale. All merchandise is 15% off.

The Dodgers will take on San Diego in Monday night’s series opener. It’s sure to be a battle as future NL MVP Clayton Kershaw will counter Odrisamer Despaigne at 7:10 pm.

Go Blue!

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