Yasiel Puig Delivers as Dodgers Sweep Diamondbacks, 3-1

This minor leaguer might have a future in the big leagues.

Yasiel Puig hit his second home run since he was recalled from Triple-A and the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers only had four hits in the game, but two of them brought home runs as Puig and Corey Seager knocked in all three runs on the night.

Seager had two of the four hits, and doubled down the right field line scoring Howie Kendrick from first for the Dodgers first hit and run of the game. Two batters later, Puig knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to left field.

"To pick up that RBI early was great for his confidence," Roberts said of Puig's night. "Yasiel can do so many great things but that situational at-bat helped his confidence."

Puig smashed a sixth-inning solo shot off left-hander Robbie Ray for the Dodgers second hit of the game, adding a much-needed insurance run in the process. The 25-year-old Cuban slugger is 4-for-9 with two homers and five RBI since he returned to the roster on Sept. 2.

"I was trying to backdoor a curveball and it just didnt break enough," Ray said of the one pitch he wanted back. "He's a strong hitter and he was strong enough to hit it out. Tonight was a tough loss."

Ray (7-13) was the hard-luck loser, surrendering three runs on just two hits with four walks and 12 strikeouts in six innings, but received no offensive support from the Snakes.

Arizona's only run came on a diving catch by Charlie Culberson in the first inning, but the ball bounced out of his glove as he hit the ground and A.J. Pollock scored from second on the play.

"He pitched great and had very good stuff," said D-backs manager Chip Hale. "We just were not able to support him. We need to score some runs."

Brock Stewart earned his first career Major League victory allowing just one run on five hits with two walks and one strikeout in five strong innings for Los Angeles. 

"That's why I play this game to compete at this level, so to get my first win is defnitely something I'll never forget," Stewart said of the monumental moment in his career. "I know we're in a pennant race so I just wanted to put the team in a position to win."

Stewart (1-2) carried over the momentum from his last start against the Cubs and has posted a 1.38 ERA in his last three games since Aug. 14.

"That was a huge confidence boost [the Cubs game] and this one was as well," Stewart said. "I'm definitely looking to keep it rolling and keep building on each outing."

Stewart anchored a string of four consecutive rookie starting pitchers that each earned a win this week. Jose De Leon, Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Stewart combined to go 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA over the four-game stretch and according to Elias Sports Bureau, it is the first time in franchise history that the Dodgers won four straight games started by rookie pitchers. 

"All those young guys are really growing," Roberts said of his rookies. "This is definitely a crash course on the big leagues."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took full advantage of his new 34-man active roster, as seven different relief pitchers finished up the game for the Dodgers.

"It's one of those things where you have the arms available to you," Roberts said of his full use of the bullpen. "You want to get everyone involved and tonight was a team effort."

The turning point in the game came when Roberts called for an intentional walk of Paul Goldschmidt to load the bases with two outs. Grant Dayton came out of the bullpen and struck out pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks to end the inning.

"The crowd got into it tonight. I heard them a lot, usually I don't hear them, but I heard them tonight and it got me pumped," Dayton said of the biggest moment in the game. "I was just trying to execute strikes and trust in the catcher. Chooch [Carlos Ruiz] and I were on the same page."

Kenley Jansen pitched another perfect ninth for his 43rd save of the season, one shy of his career-high of 44 in 2014. 

The Snakes outhit the Dodgers seven-to-four but were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base as they were swept by the Dodgers for the first time since June 8-10 of 2015. 

Los Angeles extended their lead in the National League West to a season-high five games over .500 after the San Francisco Giants blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning in their 6-5 loss to the Rockies in Colorado.

Players of the Game:

Yasiel Puig: 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.
Corey Seager: 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. 
Brock Stewart: First career win. 

Three Takeaways:

1. Young Guns: The Los Angeles Dodgers started four consecutive rookie pitchers Aug. 27-31 with Julio Urias, Brock Stewart, Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling. They did it again on Wednesday as Jose De Leon, Maeda, Stripling and Stewart started four straight, and each picked up the victory for the boys in blue. It was the first time the Dodgers started four consecutive rookies since Ken Lehman, Billy Loes, Ray Moore and Johnny Rutherford did it for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Sept. 8-10 in 1952, and the first time four straight rookie starters each recorded the win in franchise history. The last MLB team to have four rookie starters win four straight games was the Oakland A's in 2012.

CRAZY STAT: De Leon, Maeda, Stripling & Brock Stewart become 1st rookie starters in franchise history to record the win in 4 straight games — Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) September 8, 2016

2. Bet The Farm: Three Dodger farm system affiliates began the minor league playoffs on Wednesday. Triple-A Oklahoma City lost the first game of a best-of-five to the Nashville Sound, 10-7. Single-A Great Lakes were rained out and Class-A Rancho Cucamonga won in 16 innings iafter Andre Ethier tied the game with a home run in the 8th.

THANKS 'DRE!!! ������@Dodgers Andre Ethier just tied the game with a solo shot to right field.

Wow that was �� — RC Quakes Baseball (@RCQuakes) September 8, 2016

3. Roberto Clemente Day: Wednesday was Roberto Clemente Day in MLB and before the game, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected first baseman Adrian Gonzalez as their representative for the Roberto Clemente award, an annual award given to a player who represents extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions to the game of baseball. All 30 teams nominate one player.

#VoteAdrian!@Adrian_ElTitan is the #Dodgers 2016 Roberto Clemente Award nominee: https://t.co/HF77XRgLYU pic.twitter.com/mYvPv6WcQS — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 6, 2016

Up Next:

Diamondbacks (58-81): Arizona has an off day before hosting the San Francisco Giants this weekend.

Dodgers (79-60): Los Angeles has an off day on Thursday as they travel to Miami. Clayton Kershaw returns after a 10-week absence on Friday at 4:10PM PST.