Yasiel Puig carries Dodgers to fourth straight win

It was an offensive parade on Saturday, as the Dodgers exploded for 17 runs. Seven of them came courtesy of Yasiel Puig.

Yesterday, Puig had himself two home runs. Today, he decided to up his game, hitting three home runs for the first time in his career.

Puig becomes the fifth player in Dodgers history with three home runs and seven RBI in a single game. The last to do it was Adrian Gonzalez on August 22, 2016.

With Saturday’s 17-4 victory over St. Louis, LA moves into sole possession of the second wild-card spot, as well as a first-place tie for the NL West lead.

Manny Machado got the Dodgers on the board early with a two-run homer. For Machado, it was his 11th home run in a Dodger uniform.

LA added another in the fourth as Puig hit a solo shot, making the lead 3-0.

After a dominant three innings, things quickly fell apart in the fourth for Rich Hill. Three consecutive walks would load the bases for rookie Patrick Wisdom. On an 0-2 count, Wisdom crushed a 75-mph curveball over the ‘Big-Mac’ sign for a grand slam.

Through four, Hill had only allowed two hits, both of which came from Wisdom, but he trailed 4-3.

The Dodgers answered right back, scoring five in the top of the fifth to reclaim the lead. A single and two walks would load the bases for Cody Bellinger. After getting ahead 3-0, he quickly found himself in a 3-2 count.

Bellinger, who was hitting below .200 on the year with the bases loaded, came up clutch. He scorched one to right field, scoring two, and giving the Dodgers the lead yet again.

Puig decided to one-up Bellinger, lining a three-run home run over the left-field fence, giving LA an 8-4 lead. For Puig, this was the seventh time he’s hit two home runs in a game, and the second in as many games. With an exit velocity of 114.3 mph, it was the hardest hit Dodgers home run of the season.

Hill settled down in the fifth, striking out two, and ending his day. Though only throwing five innings, Hill was dominant for most of the game. He struck out eight, and only allowed two hits.

Max Muncy and Bellinger each added RBI singles in the sixth, giving LA a 10-4 lead.

In the eighth, Muncy and Bellinger would walk, putting two on for Puig. On the fourth pitch, Puig soared his third homer of the game into the stands, giving LA a 13-4 lead.

An error and a Cody Bellinger three-run homer would give the Dodgers a 17-4 lead in the ninth.

Julio Urias came in to pitch the ninth. For Urias, it was his first time on a big-league mound in a year-and-a-half. He faced three batters and struck out one.

With the win, not only are the Dodgers in sole possession of the second wild-card spot, they also move into a tie with the Rockies for the NL West lead. Colorado will face off with the Giants at 6pm tonight.

Up Next

The Dodgers will look for the four-game sweep on Sunday night as Ross Stripling (8-3, 2.61 ERA) will square off against veteran righty Adam Wainwright (1-3, 4.70 ERA)

Saturday Particulars

Home Runs: Manny Machado (35) Yasiel Puig, 3 (21) Patrick Wisdom (4) Cody Bellinger (23)

WP: Rich Hill (9-5) 5 IP, 8 SO, 4 ER, 2 H

LP: John Gant (7-6) 4 ¹⁄₃ IP, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO