As the subtle breeze blew into Dodger Stadium, the baseballs started flying out of it.
Seven different players combined to hit eight home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers came from behind in dramatic fashion to sweep the Cincinnati Reds, 9-7, in the finale of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Chavez Ravine.
Corey Seager hit a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth as the Dodgers rallied from a four-run deficit, scoring a season-high six runs in the inning.
"That was a huge inning," said Seager. "It wears down the pitcher, you lose confidence in your pitches when you can't finish anybody off. It wears on guys for sure. We've come back a lot this year. We never give up."
Cody Bellinger hit two home runs and Chase Utley also hit one for the Boys in Blue who have now won four consecutive games overall.
Adam Duvall, Scott Schebler, Joey Votto, and Devin Mesoraco all homered for the Reds as they were swept by the N.L. Wild Card-leading Dodgers.
The eight combined home runs were the most in a Dodger game this season and just the second time in Dodger Stadium history that both teams hit four or more home runs in the same game.
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"It's nice to hit when it's warm," said Utley of why he thought the ball was leaving the ballpark so much. "On a day like today, no lead is safe, and we never feel like we're out of a game and today it showed."
After a scoreless first inning by both teams, Dodger Stadium began to look like a rocket launching test site as the ball began bursting out of the ballpark from all angles.
Duvall hit his 15th homer of the year as he crushed a first-pitch fastball from Hyun-Jin Ryu into the stands in left-center for the first run of the game.
Adam Duvall opens the scoring with a solo home run to left field in the top of the 2nd inning!!! #Reds pic.twitter.com/xE7icE7hzf— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) June 11, 2017
Two batters later, it was former Dodger, Scott Schebler's turn as he sent a slider from Ryu over the wall for a two-run homer, staking Cincinnati to an early 3-0 lead.
Big swings from the National League longball leaders.@scheb08 �� https://t.co/Vf4wMY15sQ
Joey �� https://t.co/dMNEGzA0jz pic.twitter.com/qAZqh06DEc— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 11, 2017
The long ball was Schebler's NL-leading 18th of the season, putting him one ahead of teammate Joey Votto, but that wouldn't last long.
Like a sudden burst of sunshine on this otherwise cloudy day, Cody Bellinger launched his team-leading 14th home run into orbit in the bottom of the second inning to cut the Reds lead to 3-2.
Votto tied his teammate for the NL-lead when he launched his 18th homer of the season off Ryu in the top of the third, adding an extra insurance run.
Votto (18), Schebler (18) and Duvall (15) have more home runs than the Giants (49).— Reds Media Relations (@RedsPR) June 11, 2017
It was Chase Utley's turn to go deep as he homered off Tim Adleman in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the Cincinnati lead to a single run.
In the last month, Utley leads the league in batting (.365) and has scored 7 runs, recorded four doubles, one triple, four homers and 12 RBI in his last 16 games.
"I feel more comfortable in the batter's box," said Utley of his success lately. "Confidence is a big factor for a hitter and I've gotten some hits which builds confidence."
Devin Mesoraco tacked on a two-run homer in the top of the sixth that put the game out of reach for L.A. Mesoraco also homered on Saturday night off Josh Fields that tied the game and stole a win away from Alex Wood.
After a couple more scoreless innings, the game looked like it would come to an undramatic conclusion, but Bellinger decided to add a plot twist as he homered again in the bottom of the eighth inning that reenergized the crowd and his team.
Bellinger's pair of homers was the third multi-homer game of his career despite the fact the rookie has only played 43 games this season. Over that span, the Arizona native leads the Dodgers in home runs (15) and RBI (35).
After the Bellinger blast, the Dodgers loaded the bases off Reds' reliever Raisel Iglesias for Saturday night's hero, Corey Seager.
Seager didn't waste any time reinserting himself into the role again as he crushed a first-pitch changeup from Iglesias deep into the seats in right-center for the first grand slam of his career.
"I wasn't trying to drive in everybody. I just wanted to hit a sac fly, a base-hit, just move everyone up one and pass the baton to the next guy," said Seager of his slam. "I was just trying to look for something out over the plate and up. It was a changeup."
The game-winner traveled 398-feet, but left the bat at an astonishing 101 MPH as Dodger Stadium broke into bedlam after the blast.
Kenley Jansen quickly rushed to warm up after the go-ahead home run, recording the 11th save of the season and 200th of his career.
"He's a championship type player and one of the leaders on the ballclub," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts. "When we got within two, I wanted him up and ready. Thankfully, he doesn't take long to get loose."
Jansen became the 49th player in MLB history to reach the milestone since the save rule was established in 1969. Aditionally, Jansen extended his MLB record for strikeouts without issuing a walk, punching out his 43rd batter in the ninth inning.
Adrian Gonzalez left the game with a back injury.
"After my third at-bat, I told Doc 'I'm not helping the team right now, let's take me out,'" said Gonzalez of why he left the game. "I know what I have. I have an L4 and L5 vertebrae herniated disc. I'll get an MRI tomorrow and see what happens."
The victory gave the Dodgers their fourth sweep of the season and ninth consecutive victory over the Reds at Dodger Stadium overall. It was the 18th comeback victory for L.A. on the year.
"There's no quit in our team," concluded Roberts. "There's a fight in that clubhouse. These games are reasons why we're going to be there in the end."
Up Next:
The Dodgers have an off day on Monday before they travel to Cleveland where they could be on a collision course with the NBA Finals should the Cavaliers win Game 5. The series opens on Tuesday in a highly anticipated matchup between LHP Clayton Kershaw and RHP Trevor Bauer. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10PM PST.
