The Dodgers packed their hitting shoes on their nine-game road trip, beginning Friday night with a 13-7 win over the Diamondbacks, keyed by a career night from Chris Taylor to win the opener of a three-game weekend series.
The win was the fourth straight for the Dodgers, who are now averaging 5.18 runs per game with eight wins in 11 contests in July.
Taylor was 3-for-5 and drove in six runs, just the third Dodgers second baseman with at least six RBI in a game since 1913, and the first since the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The others from Brooklyn were Billy Herman (1943, seven runs) and Jackie Robinson (1949).
Taylor, making his fourth start since joining the Dodgers in June and his first at second base, hit a two-run triple to drive a five-run fourth inning that gave the Dodgers the lead for good. He added a double to extend the fifth, an inning that saw the Dodgers tack on another run.
Then in the sixth inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out, only to see relief pitcher Silvino Bracho strike out both Scott Van Slyke and Yasmani Grandal. But that just set the stage for Taylor, who hammered a 2-0 fastball into the left field seats for a grand slam to give the Dodgers a 12-4 advantage.
It was also the first home run of Taylor's career, in his 277th plate appearance, and it left him a single shy of the cycle.
Chris Taylor: 3rd @Dodgers player to have 1st career HR be a grand slam (Preston Ward 1948, Chico Fernandez 1956) (via @eliassports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 16, 2016
In the eighth inning, with a five-run lead and third baseman Jake Lamb playing very deep at third base, Taylor tried to bunt for his cycle, but didn't quite get it past pitcher Josh Collmenter, who thew him out at first. But it didn't take away from a stellar night by the Dodgers.
Taylor wasn't alone on offense, as all nine Dodgers starters had at least one hit and scored at least one run.
Justin Turner homered and reached base four times. Yasiel Puig had three hits, including a two-run line-drive single in that five-run fourth. Howie Kendrick had three hits and walked from the leadoff spot, and Scott Van Slyke had a pair of singles.
The Dodgers set a new season high with 18 hits, and their 13 runs were their most since scoring 15 on opening day.
All that offense made a winner of Bud Norris, who beat the Diamondbacks for the first time in his career, after seven losses in his first eight games against them.
The right-hander allowed four runs and needed 98 pitches to get through five innings, but also struck out five and walked none. Norris also helped himself at the plate with a RBI single in the fifth.
The long ball
Down eight, Arizona scored three runs in the seventh inning on home runs by Jean Segura and Paul Goldschmidt against Casey Fien, who has now allowed seven home runs in 20 games in 22 innings since joining the Dodgers. Counting his opening month with the Twins, Fien has allowed 12 home runs on the season, two more than any other relief pitcher in baseball in 2016.
Random
Friday was the Dodgers' first win by a 13-7 score since beating the Reds on June 7, 1987 in Cincinnati. Bob Welch pitched eight innings in that game. Mike Marshall was 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI and four runs scored.
Friday particulars
Home runs: Justin Turner (14), Chris Taylor (1); Jean Segura (7), Paul Goldschmidt (16)
WP - Bud Norris (5-7): 5 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs, 5 strikeouts
LP - Patrick Corbin (4-8): 4 IP, 7 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), 3 walks, 7 strikeouts