Kiké Hernandez had three hits, scored two runs, and knocked in an RBI as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 in the rubber match of their three-game series.
Hernandez was 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and fell a home run shy of the cycle in a rare start in center field. The super-utility star started off the game with a three-bagger, hit an RBI double in the third, and a single in the seventh before coming up in the ninth needing a home run for the first cycle in franchise history since Orlando Hudson did it on opening day in 2009.
"I'm pretty sure I have a bruise on my butt because I swung so hard," Hernandez said about his last at-bat. "Every time I swung I closed my eyes and put the ball in play and it happened to be a hit."
The Dodgers opted for an all right-handed hitting lineup against the Snakes southpaw starter Robbie Ray. Ray (2-4) took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Howie Kendrick continued his hot-hitting going 1-for-3 with two RBIs and raised his average to .298 on the season. Kendrick has hit safely in his last seven games and is batting an astronomical .500 with two doubles, a home run, and eight RBIs since June 25th.
Brett Anderson (5-4) allowed one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. The five wins are the most Anderson has recorded since the 2010 season in Oakland when he went 7-6 with the Athletics.
"It was a battle. I was able to keep us in the ballgame," Anderson said. "I rode the wave and gave us another quality start, hopefully I will be able to keep doing that in my final two starts before the All-Star break."
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Aaron Hill and David Peralta both hit solo homers for the Diamondbacks, as Peralta's home run in the bottom of the ninth brought Arizona within a run.
Kenley Jansen served up the home run to Peralta as the Dodgers closer has allowed just three runs this season, all via the long ball. Nonetheless, Jansen was still able to close the door on the D-backs earning his 13th save of the season.
The plays of the game came in the bottom of the first inning when Anderson picked off Nick Ahmed trying to steal and Scott Van Slyke threw out A.J. Pollock on a bloop single after he rounded first. Dodgers' catcher A.J. Ellis wisely ran down the line and applied the tag on Pollock on the hustle play.
"I was just slow enough to trickle down to first base behind A.J. as Scott threw a perfect strike to me," Ellis said. "Those are plays that you got to make. You always look at the 8th and 9th innings as big plays, but sometimes it's the plays you make in the first inning that separate the game."
Game Notes:
The Dodgers steal the series from the Diamondbacks and have now won 9 out of their last 10 games against Arizona. They finish 6-4 on their 10-game road trip that stretched three time zones and over 5,000 miles.
The Dodgers have not stolen a base since June 7th and have been caught stealing six times over that span. The 23-game drought without a stolen base is the longest in franchise history.
Paul Goldschmidt's 11-game hitting streak came to an end, but the Snakes slugger walked for the 62nd time this season, an Arizona record before the All-Star break.
.@kikehndez is a homer shy of the cycle. He comes up to bat in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/6WdcnGQxIj — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 2, 2015
