Dodgers find their home run stroke

Yasiel Puig homered in the sixth inning on Friday night, extending a Dodgers power streak they haven't seen in 15 years, and one they will look to continue on Saturday night against the Pirates at PNC Park.

Puig's home run gave the Dodgers 14 consecutive games with a home run, the longest streak by the team since June 10-26, 2001. The last time the Dodgers had a longer streak was 1977, with a 15-gamer from June 7-22.

The current 14-game streak is tied for the longest in baseball this season. The Nationals also had a 14-game home run streak from May 26 to June 10.

That has allowed the Dodgers to lead the National League in June with 33 home runs, one more than the Cubs. The leading culprits this month have been Corey Seager and Justin Turner, each with seven home runs, for Seager his second straight month with seven long balls.

The last time the Dodgers had two players each with at least nine home runs in the same month was July 2001, when Shawn Green (10) and Gary Sheffield (nine) turned the trick.

The Dodgers led the National League with 187 home runs in 2015, the first time they did so since 1983.

April saw the Dodgers 14th in the league with just 17 home runs, yet the Dodgers scored more runs per game that month (4.20) than they have so far in June (3.91).

It's not that the home runs are a bad thing, though over two-thirds of the club's home runs have come with the bases empty. The Dodgers are tied for third in the NL with 58 solo home runs, and rank 13th among 15 NL teams with 26 home runs with men on base.

The Dodgers have scored 121 runs on their 84 home runs, an average of 1.440 runs per homer. The National League average in 2016 is 1.538 runs per home run. Only the Nationals (1.394) and Brewers (1.385) have scored fewer runs per home run than the Dodgers, who rank ninth in total runs from home runs, a little lower than their eighth-place ranking in total home runs.

Jeff Locke starts for the Pirates on Saturday. His career high is just 16 home runs allowed, in 2014, but he's already at 12 home runs in 14 starts in 2016 to go with his 5.44 ERA. At PNC Park this season, Locke has allowed five home runs in six starts, though he is also 4-1 with a 3.26 ERA at home.

The one current Dodger with a home run against Locke is Seager, who was 1-for-3 against the left-hander last Sept. 18 at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers have come out ahead on home runs this season, allowing 70 as a team, with 99 runs on those 70 home runs, 1.414 per homer.

Kenta Maeda makes the start for the Dodgers on Saturday, having allowed just six home runs in his 14 starts in 2016, including just one home run in six starts on the road, where Maeda is 4-0 with a 2.14 ERA.

Game info

Time: 4:15 p.m. PT

TV: Fox