Bellinger, Turner lead Dodgers’ demolition of D-backs, 18-5
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit two homers and drove in a career high-tying six runs, Justin Turner added five RBIs and the Los Angeles Dodgers rebounded splendidly from a 13-inning loss with an 18-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
Bellinger had four hits and Joc Pederson had three after leading off the game with his third homer for Los Angeles, which pounded out 19 hits to shake off its 5-4 loss early Saturday morning in the longest regular season game in Dodger Stadium history.
Arizona backup catcher John Ryan Murphy gave up seven runs in mop-up relief, including homers by Bellinger and Austin Barnes. It was Murphy’s first career outing on a big league mound.
Dodgers backup catcher Russell Martin also made his first pitching appearance, closing things out with a perfect ninth inning.
One game after they stranded 17 runners, the Dodgers got hits from 11 players in their second rout of Arizona in three games to start the season. The two-time defending NL champions have scored 34 runs in their first three games.
Turner, Bellinger and A.J. Pollock had consecutive RBI singles during the Dodgers’ four-run third inning, while Corey Seager, Bellinger and Max Muncy drove in runs during a five-run sixth.
Jarrod Dyson hit a leadoff homer for the Diamondbacks, who won that 365-minute marathon well after 1 a.m. Alex Avila, Adam Jones and David Peralta also homered for Arizona, but only after the Dodgers had built up a big lead.
Both managers let their starters go long in a bid to save their bullpens, and Kenta Maeda (1-0) gave the Dodgers 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball. Maeda even chased Arizona starter Zack Godley in the sixth with a bloop double over the head of a badly fooled Peralta in left.
Godley (0-1) got to stay in the game even after eight consecutive Dodgers reached base in the third. The right-hander yielded eight hits and seven earned runs while pitching into the sixth.
Los Angeles batted around in the third against Godley. Bellinger hit his second homer of the young season deep into the Diamondbacks’ bullpen in the fifth.
Jones’ homer in the seventh was his second in three games with his new club after 11 years in Baltimore.
Down by eight runs, Arizona sent out Murphy to the mound in the seventh, and the former high school pitcher nearly escaped unscathed. The Dodgers loaded the bases but didn’t score in the seventh against Murphy, whose pitches rarely topped 65 mph.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: 1B Steven Souza Jr. will have surgery on his badly injured knee Tuesday in Cincinnati. The slugger will miss the entire season after stepping awkwardly on home plate Monday. “He’s in for a grinding year (of rehab), we know that,” manager Torey Lovullo said. … Lovullo said his entire bullpen essentially was available despite the 13-inning game.
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw threw a 50-pitch, three-inning simulated game on the field, taking another step in his return from shoulder inflammation. Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw will throw on the side Monday before the Dodgers decide whether to send him to Oklahoma City or Tulsa for a minor-league rehab start. After that, Kershaw and the team will determine whether he needs one more start before returning to the majors. Kershaw’s franchise-record streak of eight consecutive opening day starts ended this week.
UP NEXT
In the series finale, Walker Buehler makes his season debut for the Dodgers after his breakthrough 2018 in which he went 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA. He faces Luke Weaver, who debuts for Arizona after being the Diamondbacks’ primary return in the trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis. Weaver went 7-11 for the Cardinals last season.
