LOS ANGELES — Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker continued his domination of the Dodgers, hitting two home runs and sparking the offense in a 9-3 victory at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.
Walker hit a monster home run (435 ft) to center field in the first inning. He homered again in his next at-bat, marking his 19th home run in 42 games at Dodger Stadium.
The 33-year-old has hit home runs in five consecutive games at the stadium and has nine home runs this season against Dodgers pitching. He has 27 home runs and 59 RBIs against the Dodgers in his 10-year career.
Dodgers right-handed pitcher Landon Knack threw 4 1/3 innings, giving up four runs and striking out six
JOC AND C-WALK START THE FIREWORKS EARLY. pic.twitter.com/JJSWrVa79a
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 5, 2024
Former Dodgers slugger Joc Pederson hit a solo home run in the first inning, his second of the series and 12th of the season.
The Dodgers offense was quiet for the first few innings before scoring three in the bottom of the fourth. Kiké Hernandez scored the first run with a fielder's choice.
Austin Barnes, starting in place of Will Smith, came through with a two-run single to reduce the deficit to 4-3.
Shohei Ohtani had a tough day against Zach Gallen, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and one walk. Freddie Freeman struggled went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, lowering his batting average to .298.
During the game, Freeman couldn't tag Corbin Carroll after receiving a bunt single, leading to an extended inning for Arizona. In the fifth inning, Walker was intentionally walked after hitting two home runs, much to the crowd's delight.
oops, HE DID IT AGAIN
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2024
Christian Walker with ANOTHER homer at Dodger Stadium! pic.twitter.com/rZwiVMcPGL
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was aware of the cheers after that walk.
"He's like Babe Ruth against us." he said.
The Dodgers were outscored 26-13 in the series, losing the last two games. Tuesday's ninth-inning rally prevented a Diamondbacks sweep.
When Pederson hit his first-inning home run, Jason Heyward attempted to leap over the wall to catch the home run ball. As he was coming down, he felt pain in his left knee and had leave the following inning. He is considered day-to-day and will not be in the lineup Friday, Roberts said.
Heyward is batting .203 as the Dodgers desperately need to strengthen their bench with Gavin Lux is hitting .215, Kike Hernandez at .202, Cavan Biggio at .197 and Chris Taylor at .161
The Dodgers lineup will get a boost when it gets back Max Muncy, who has been sidelined for almost two months.
"It's been slow, to be honest, it's slow," Roberts said. "There's still soreness in the oblique."
Clayton Kershaw had a bullpen session earlier today, which went well. Kershaw is scheduled to pitch a simulation game on Sunday and will likely have a few rehab assignments before returning, according to Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts.@SportingTrib #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/2ACw2qSEGm
— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) July 4, 2024
Clayton Kershaw had a successful bullpen session on Thursday, according to Roberts.
"It was really good, right around 30 pitches, used his entire mix of pitches, came out of it very well," Roberts said. "The next thing will be a sim game potentially on Sunday."
As the trade deadline approaches, the Dodgers organization is prepared to make any necessary upgrades.
The Milwaukee Brewers are coming to town for the weekend. Tyler Glasnow (8-5, 3.23 ERA) will take the mound for the Dodgers against Aaron Civale (2-6, 5.07) starting at 7:10 p.m. Friday.