Dodgers romp before the rain, beat White Sox for 11th straight win

The Dodgers had their way with the White Sox, smashing four home runs and three doubles en route to a 9-1 win to close out a perfect road trip on Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

The only thing that has slowed the Dodgers down of late is Mother Nature, as rain came to mercifully call this game after seven innings.

All five games on the road trip had the same result — a victory for the Dodgers — extending their winning streak to 11 games, their longest since 2006.

The team is now an absurd 31-4 in their last 35 games, a stat that looked ridiculous two weeks ago yet just keeps growing on one side of the ledger.

Chris Taylor, who told Alanna Rizzo on SportsNet LA that his four-hit night on Tuesday was “lucky” and that he didn’t really barrel any ball all night, got good wood on the ball to lead off the first inning on Wednesday, homering over the right field wall for a quick 1-0 lead.

Taylor added a single and an RBI double to his night, and finished his road trip 12-for-21 (.571) with two doubles, two triples, a home run, and four multi-hit contests. In July, Taylor is hitting .434/.455/.717 with nine extra-base hits in 13 games.

Kiké Hernandez got the start at third base with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the mound, and provided immediate dividends with home runs in his first two at-bats. Hernandez also showed off his arm finishing off a 1-5-3 double play.

Hernandez is hitting .261/.363/.670 with 17 extra-base hits in 102 plate appearances against southpaws, including nine home runs, second only to Nolan Arenado (10) in the majors.

In a related story, the Dodgers are an MLB-best 21-9 against left-handed starters this season, including 11 straight wins.

The run support was plenty for Kenta Maeda, who allowed a run in five innings for his eighth win of the season.

Record for Seager

Corey Seager joined the power party with a two-run home run to chase Rodon in the fourth inning, his 15h of the season, giving the Dodgers a 5-1 lead. Seager now has 45 home runs in his career, 44 of which have been hit as a shortstop.

Seager passed Rafael Furcal for most career home runs hit by a Dodgers shortstop, an even more remarkable feat given that Seager hasn’t yet been in the majors for two full seasons.

Counting the Brooklyn years, Seager is tied for second place among shortstops with Glenn Wright, who played for the Dodgers from 1929-33. The all-time franchise leader in home runs by a shortstop is Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese, who hit 122 home runs from the position.

Up next

The Dodgers, winners of 11 straight games, on Thursday return home, where they have won seven straight and 18 of their last 19 games. Brandon McCarthy starts the series opener against the Braves, who will counter with Mike Foltynewicz in a 7:10 p.m. PT start.

Wednesday particulars

Home runs: Chris Taylor (11), Kiké Hernandez 2 (10), Corey Seager (15); Melky Cabrera (12)

WP - Kenta Maeda (8-4): 5 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

LP - Carlos Rodon (1-3): 3⅔ IP, 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts