Dodgers prevent Cubs sweepas Edman slams 2 homers, Ohtani inches closer to 50-50

After hitting two home runs the previous night, Tommy Edman hit two more Wednesday night,  leading the Dodgers to a 10-8 win on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Edman's bat has been hot recently, with four home runs and nine hits in his last five games. He made his debut for the Dodgers on August 19 after being traded in a three-team deal at the deadline.

Edman's second home run, off Trey Wingenter in the eighth inning, extended the Dodgers' lead to 10-7. The switch-hitter hit home runs from both sides of the plate, right side in the eighth, left side in the first inning. 

This is Edman’s fifth multi-homer game in his career and second in two consecutive days.

After giving up five runs in the eighth inning and losing the game the night before, the Dodgers bounced back by scoring five runs in the first inning, including four home runs. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Dodgers have hit four home runs in the first inning.

Shohei Ohtani started the game with his 47th home run of the season (405 feet) and then stole his 48th base, putting him on the verge of becoming the first player ever to join the 50-50 club with only 16 games remaining in the regular season.

Ohtani has hit three home runs in the last six games and also had an RBI single in the third inning, finishing with two hits for the night.

Teoscar Hernandez rejoined the lineup, batting fourth, after being hit by a pitch last Friday. Hernandez went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs.

Will Smith followed with his 18th home run. Max Muncy then hit a towering shot to right field on his bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, contributing to a five-run inning for the Dodgers with six hits.

Left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks struggled against the top NL-West team, giving up eight hits and seven earned runs in three innings. Wicks walked four batters and struck out two, throwing 78 pitches.

The Dodgers tallied 14 hits against the Cubs, but Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went 0 for 9 combined with one walk in the game.

Right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller had a tough outing, allowing two runs in the first inning. Isaac Paredes hit an RBI single to score Seiya Suzuki.

Suzuki hit a solo home run, his 20th, off Miller, reducing the deficit to 5-3.

Michael Busch continues to hit off the Dodgers' pitching, going 5 for 13 in this series at Dodger Stadium, with an RBI double that scored the former Dodger, Cody Bellinger.

The Dodgers maintained a 7-3 lead until Bellinger hit a three-run home run off Miller, prompting Dave Roberts to make a bullpen change.

Miller pitched 4 ⅓ innings, allowing five hits, six runs, four walks and two strikeouts on 90 pitches. It wasn't his best performance, but he fought to keep the team ahead.

Roberts talked about Miller's performance after the game and is willing to ride with Miller for at least one start prior to making a decision on the rotation come playoffs.

"He's gonna get another start and then we will see from there." Roberts said postgame.

The game was tied at seven until Gavin Lux, who pinch-hit for Chris Taylor, drove in the go-ahead run. Then Edman gave the Dodgers some insurance runs with his two-run home run in the eighth inning.

The Dodgers used several bullpen pitchers including Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia, who got the win today (3-4, 1.82 ERA). Right-handers Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech came in to close out the game, with Kopech securing his 13th save of the season.

Kopech gave up three consecutive walks to open the inning, loading the bases. However, the team was only able to score one run in the inning. This was followed by a fly ball to Betts and a double steal by the Cubs, during which Suzuki was caught stealing at third base. Kopech then struck out Busch swinging.

The Dodgers will have a travel day tomorrow to prepare for a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves, starting on Friday. The Padres are 5.5 games behind, while the Diamondbacks are 5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West division.

Landon Knack (2-3, 3.00 ERA), coming off a solid start, will pitch for the Dodgers on Friday against Spencer Schwellenbach (5-7, 3.78 ERA) of the Atlanta Braves.