Hernandez’s homer on 0-2 count lifts Dodgers over Brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Enrique Hernandez had a daunting challenge.

Down to his final strike with two outs against All-Star Josh Hader, Hernandez lined a three-run homer over the left field wall to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 on Friday.

Hernandez sprinted around the bases and slapped high fives at home plate with teammates A.J. Pollock and David Freese, who had drawn walks off Hader ahead of him. Dodgers players and coaches mobbed Hernandez as he returned to the dugout.

They had reason to celebrate.

Hader had never given up a home run on an 0-2 pitch. Prior to Hernandez’s long ball, batters were 0-for-10 with nine strikeouts when faced with 0-2 counts against Hader this season.

“I saw a fastball at the top of the strike zone that I got on top of and I hit a line drive and it went out of the ballpark,” Hernandez said.

Hader (0-1) offered a blunt assessment of the costly pitch and his lack of command.

“It was up where I wanted it, but I wanted it to be more in and I just left it out over (the plate),” Hader said. “I didn’t set myself up too good to execute. I made mistakes and I paid for it.”

The win is the sixth in a row for the Dodgers. The Brewers have lost a season-high three straight.

Five Dodgers relievers combined to limit Milwaukee to one run over the final 4 1/3 innings. Pedro Baez (1-1) got the win and Kenley Jensen got the last three outs for his seventh save.

The Brewers immediately jumped on starter Ross Stripling. Lorenzo Cain led off the first with a single for his 1,000th career hit. Christian Yelich then lofted a 408-foot homer into the second deck in right, his major league-leading 11th of the season, to stake Milwaukee to a 2-0 lead.

Yelich’s blast tied the franchise record for home runs in March and April set by Eric Thames in 2017.

The Dodgers cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on Alex Verdugo’s run-scoring double off Jhoulys Chacin. Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice fly in the third tied the score.

After Hernandez’s homer put Los Angeles ahead, Eric Thames hit a solo shot off Joe Kelly in the bottom of the eighth to pull the Brewers to 5-3.

Chacin gave up five hits and two runs in five innings, while Stripling lasted 4 2/3 innings and surrendered four hits and two runs.