LOS ANGELES – Kiké Hernandez hit a two-run double and the Dodgers put up a five-spot in the seventh inning as they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 in the rubber match on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
A single and a walk was all it took to chase Arizona starter Robbie Ray from the game. Ray had pitched six innings of shutout ball before that time. Randall Delgado took over for Ray and allowed four consecutive RBI hits as the Dodgers broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning.
Hernandez, Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez all knocked in runs during the rally as Los Angeles took the rubber match of the three-game series.
"That at-bat by Kiké against Delgado was huge," manager Dave Roberts said. "Yasiel and Adrian with back-to-back singles, that was a huge inning for us."
Nick Ahmed had an RBI for the third consecutive game against the Dodgers, but his home run streak came to an end. Ahmed singled in Chris Hermann in the fifth inning.
Ross Stripling entered the game allowing no-hits as he was pulled from a no-hitter in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants in his first start. Leaving no room for drama, Stripling allowed a hit to the first batter he faced, but calmed down from there, allowing just two runs in six innings.
"My heart was beating like crazy, but it didn't show so that's good I guess," Stripling said. "Just to be able to go out and throw strikes and know I can compete at this level is huge for my confidence."
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David Peralta brought home Socrates Brito on a fielders choice in the sixth inning, but Arizona never recovered from the five-run rally in the seventh, and went quietly into the night as Yimi Garcia and Kenley Jansen shut the door from there.
Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for the second consecutive game, earning his fourth save of the season.
Players of the Game:
Kiké Hernandez: 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the seventh inning.
Tweet of the Night:
A high ✋ in the seventh! #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/LOxM9DZMXA — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 15, 2016
Up Next:
Diamondbacks (3-7): Zack Grienke is still in search of his first win of the season when Arizona travels to San Diego to face James Shields and the Padres on Friday at 7:40PM
Dodgers (6-4): The matchup of MVPs part two takes place at Dodger Stadium when Madison Bumgarner squares off against Clayton Kershaw on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
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