Extra effort gives Dodgers another win over the Diamondbacks

It wasn’t as high-scoring as the series opener, but Dodgers-Diamondbacks was just as wild and sloppy on Wednesday. It took 10 innings to decide things for a second straight night, with the Dodgers emerging as 6-4 victors.

Chris Taylor singled home the free run to start the top of the 10th, then after a walk scored on a single by A.J. Pollock.

Blake Treinen made the two runs hold up in the 10th, picking up his first save as a Dodger. This came one night after Kenley Jansen threw a season-high 31 pitches, rendering him unavailable for this one.

The bullpen combined for five scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk, with six strikeouts.

The Dodgers are 5-1 in extra-inning games this season. Three of those wins have come against the Diamondbacks in the last eight days, all three decided in 10 innings.

For starters

Clayton Kershaw slogged through five innings, allowing four runs. He wasn’t helped all that much by the defense, with a third-inning Arizona rally featuring a single that bounced off of third base and a double play ball that was bobbled, settling for only one out. The fifth inning saw errors by Corey Seager and two by Mookie Betts on consecutive plays, plating the tying run.

But Kershaw didn’t have his usual command. He threw 20+ pitches in three different innings on Wednesday, after doing so just twice in his previous four starts. Kershaw also induced only six swinging strikes in his 87 pitches.

“My fastball command was not great tonight, and really my slider wasn’t good either,” Kershaw said on a conference call after the game. “You just try to limit the best you can, and hope something can happen. Tonight it did.”

Though the go-ahead run was 90 feet away with only one out, Kershaw was able to escape with the game still tied.

Paying tribute

Kiké Hernández was one of two Dodgers to wear number 21 on Wednesday in honor of Roberto Clemente (Edwin Rios, who like Hernandez is from Puerto Rico, also wore 21; Walker Buehler did too, but that’s his regular number), and he had one of his best offensive games of the year.

In the second inning, Orel Hershiser and Joe Davis were talking about Hernández paying tribute to Clemente on the SportsNet LA broadcast. Then the count ran full.

“Taylor Clarke, predominantly fastballs,” Hershiser said. “Kiké can turn around any fastball, so if he doesn’t try to trick him here and throws him a strike, it would be a nice tribute to hit one over the fence.”

Like clockwork, this happened.

Hernández also singled in the fourth inning for his fourth multi-hit game of the season. Both hits were off the right-hander Clarke. Hernández entered Friday hitting just .250/.280/.417 against right-handers, an 87 wRC+.

Wednesday particulars

Home runs: Mookie Betts (14), Kiké Hernández (4)

WP — Jake McGee (3-1): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Ginkel (0-2): ⅓ IP, 1 hit, 2 runs (1 earned), 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Sv — Blake Treinen (1): 3 up, 3 down

Up next

The Dodgers try for the sweep on Thursday night (6:40 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), with Dustin May on the mound against Madison Bumgarner for Arizona.