Dodgers power past Brewers, 8-2
KEY MOMENT: The Dodgers hadn’t scored and had only three hits when Justin Turner stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with two men on. His three-run home run opened the floodgates, and the Dodgers cruised from there.
AT THE PLATE: The Dodgers scored their first seven runs on home runs. In the seventh inning, Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run home run to stop a skid at 0 for 12. Later in the same inning, Adrian Gonzalez hit a towering two-run home run to give the Dodgers a 7-1 lead. Gonzalez was 0 for 1 in seven plate appearances in the series before the at bat. “I felt like it was like, ‘We’re not going to let Adrian beat us,’ ” Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said of the Brewers’ approach. Gonzalez showed why. The projected length on the home run was 447 feet. The three home runs moved the Dodgers past the Houston Astros for the league lead in home runs, with 42. Turner, who drove in four runs, had a single in the ninth inning to drive in the team’s eighth run.
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ON THE MOUND: Zack Greinke’s 7 2/3 innings meant the bullpen could get a rest. Daniel Coulombe gave up a run in the ninth inning, but by then the game was out of reach. Pedro Baez replaced Greinke with two outs in the eighth inning and struck out the only batter he faced.
IN THE FIELD: The Dodgers had one blunder and one highlight-reel play. Greinke appeared to induce an inning-ending fly ball in the second inning, but Joc Pederson had trouble tracking it. His circuitous route led to a diving attempt, and ultimately to an error that allowed a run to score. Two innings later, Turner, the third baseman, laid out to catch a popup he had chased down the left-field line.
REVIEWING REVIEWS: On Monday, the Dodgers lost on a close call at first base that was reviewed and upheld. Mattingly said he had a lot of time to think about baseball’s replay system afterward, and Tuesday he advocated for some changes. He argued that a replay official can be influenced by the initial ruling on the field. So, he said, the official should be kept in the dark. “The ‘stand’ thing has got to go,” he said. “Let’s forget the ‘Let it stand.’ You make a decision.”
EXTRA BASES: The Dodgers called up right-hander Joe Wieland to start Wednesday. Wieland, who is 3-0 in triple A with a 3.60 earned-run average and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings, will become the Dodgers ninth starter this season. Carlos Frias, who was scheduled to start Wednesday, will pitch Thursday. “With Carlos, we feel like it can’t hurt to give him an extra day,” Mattingly said.
UP NEXT: Wieland (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will face the Brewers and right-hander Wily Peralta (0-4, 4.35) on Wednesday at Miller Park at 5 p.m. PDT. TV: SportsNet LA; Radio: 570, 1020.
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