Yasmani Grandal’s eight RBIs lead Dodgers to 14-4 win over Brewers

At home, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball. On the road, not so much. Not even close, really. Starting the day they were in a tie for the second-worst road record in the majors.

In Milwaukee on Thursday afternoon, Yasmani Grandal’s eight-RBI day made the Dodgers looked very much at home, as they downed the Brewers, 14-4, at Miller Park.

The Dodgers added three more home runs to their major-league leading total (45), squeezed out another victory from their starting pitcher du jour (Carlos Frias) and raised their road record to 5-8. Not exactly the same as their 13-2 mark at home, but splitting a road series marked progress.

The Dodgers (18-10) got another home run from rookie Alex Guerrero -- his sixth in 38 at-bats -- and then two from Grandal, whose eight RBIs were a career high and highlighted a remarkable five-game stretch.

Grandal was hitting .179 on May 1, but has gone 12 for 17 in his five games since, raising his average to .301. That speaks to this still being early in the season, but also how incredibly hot Grandal is. He also has three doubles and three homers in his last five games.

Both of his home runs Thursday were three-run shots. He also walked twice and had two singles to reach base safely in all six of his at-bats. All in all, not a bad day.

The eight RBIs were the most for a Dodger since James Loney had nine in Colorado in 2006.

The beneficiary of Thursday’s offensive outburst was Frias, one of five different pitchers who have already made unexpected starts for the Dodgers in their first 28 games. With Brandon McCarthy lost for the season to elbow surgery and the timetable for Hyun-Jin Ryu’s return increasingly unknown, the Dodgers would love to see someone step up and at least claim the fourth spot in the rotation.

Frias (3-0) did not allow a run in the 5 1/3 innings of his first start, and if he was not quite as sharp Thursday, he was probably close enough to remain in the rotation. This time he allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked one. For a pitcher who can throw in the upper 90s he may not have been dominant, but he was competitive, and with two holes in the rotation that can get you back on the mound.

The Dodgers bullpen -- Pedro Baez, Adam Liberatore and Sergio Santos -- combined to hold the Brewers to on run over the last five innings.

The Dodgers managed 13 hits on the day. Joc Pederson, whose last seven hits had been homers, had a single in the ninth.

The Dodgers will attempt to continue their winning ways this weekend in Colorado, though rain and snow is forecast for all three days.

Follow Steve Dilbeck on Twitter @SteveDilbeck