Utley leads Dodgers past Arizona 4-1, snapping 4-game skid
Sep 23, 2015, 10:12 PM | Updated: 10:12 pm
LOS ANGELES — Chase Utley hit a leadoff homer and added a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped their four-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.
Utley’s double to the wall in right field drove in Jimmy Rollins, whose bunt single leading off the eighth was Los Angeles’ first hit since Utley’s homer on Chase Anderson’s first pitch.
Corey Seager then added a two-run homer for the Dodgers (86-65), who lowered their magic number for clinching a playoff berth and their third straight NL West title to six.
Paul Goldschmidt homered in his fourth straight game at Dodger Stadium for the Diamondbacks, who easily won the first two games of this series against the inconsistent Dodgers.
Anderson struck out a career-high 10 during six dominant innings, but the Phillies’ longtime double-play combo came through for the Dodgers late against David Hernandez (1-5).
Chris Hatcher (3-5) finished the eighth for Los Angeles, and Kenley Jansen closed it out for his 33rd save.
Carlos Frias pitched four innings of one-hit ball in an emergency start for the Dodgers in place of major league ERA leader Zack Greinke, who was scratched with soreness in his calf. Greinke has won five straight starts and 13 of 15 overall, and the Dodgers hadn’t won since his previous start last week.
Frias was outstanding in his second appearance after spending two months on the disabled list with a back injury. The rest of the Dodgers’ maligned bullpen also provided outstanding work, yielding four hits and never allowing a runner to reach third after Goldschmidt’s homer.
Utley put Anderson’s first pitch of the game into the bleachers in right field at Dodger Stadium, although A.J. Pollock missed the catch by inches when he leaped at the wall.
The veteran infielder had never hit a leadoff homer in the first 1,575 games of his 13-year career. Utley was the fourth player to hit a leadoff homer for the Dodgers in September, setting a major league record for a calendar month.
Goldschmidt answered with his 31st homer on Frias’ first pitch of the second inning. He joined Chad Tracy as the only Arizona players to homer in four straight games at Chavez Ravine.
Anderson mowed down the Dodgers after the first pitch, striking out five straight batters at one point.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: SS Nick Ahmed is expected to miss at least two games with a sore lower back.
Dodgers: Greinke is expected to take his next turn in the rotation early next week. He said the calf injury isn’t serious.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: Patrick Corbin (6-4, 2.99 ERA) has a 1.44 ERA in his last five starts.
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (14-7, 2.18 ERA) is coming off his first loss since June 27, but still leads the majors with 272 strikeouts.
