The Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 in the series opener on Thursday. They have now won six games in a row, are six games under .500, and six games back in the NL West.
Zach Greinke gave up four runs on 12 hits with five strikeouts, but was still awarded the win making his record 5-2.
The Dodgers scored three runs in the opening frame. With Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez on the corners Matt Kemp hit a double to left field, scoring Puig. It was Kemp’s first RBI since May 22, six games before his last stint on the Disabled List.
Andre Ethier then blasted one off the wall in right-center for a two-RBI double, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Their bats fell quite from the second inning on with 15 batters retired in a row, while the Phillies strung together 10 hits for four runs from the second to the seventh inning.
Greinke gave up a solo shot to Domonic Brown in the second inning. His 21st home run of the season which tied him for the lead in the National League.
Greinke was then singled to death in the fifth, giving up four in a row starting with the pitcher, Jonathan Pettibone. Two runs ended up scoring, tying the game 3-3, but he got out of the inning by turning a 1-6-3 double play with two runners on base.
In the sixth he gave up two more singles, but a 1-6-4 double play saved the inning. Nothing could stop the home run that Chase Utley hit in the seventh that put Philadelphia up 4-3.
Puig crashed forcefully into the right field scoreboard on Utley’s homer, falling to the ground. The stadium fell silent in the moment, but he still finished the game. After the game Mattingly mentioned the play off-handedly saying, “They checked the wall, its fine.”
Puig calmed any doubts that he may have been injured with a big hit in the bottom of the seventh. After A.J. Ellis walked, Juan Uribe bunted up the first base line and was safe as Ryan Howard slipped on the play.
Hanley Ramirez was brought in to pinch hit but they walked him to load the bases. With two outs and bases loaded, Puig hit a single to left field, scoring Ellis and Uribe and putting Dodgers back in the lead 5-4.
The eighth inning was an exciting display of Matt Kemp’s talent, as he basically took over and produced a run by himself. He singled on a line drive, stole second and third base, and scored on a sacrifice fly for an insurance run, making the game 6-4.
It was his first stolen base since May 22, and his first multi-stolen base game since August 11, 2012. He is has stolen nine bases without being caught so far this season.
Kenley Jansen closed out the game, allowing one hit. It was his first outing without a strikeout in 12 appearances.
The Dodgers go for seven straight on Friday with Chris Capuano on the mound facing Philadelphia’s, John Lannan.
