POWER AT THE TOP
Freeman, Betts and Trea Turner a combined 8 for 11 in first six innings of rout
PHOENIX » Not since his rookie season in 2011 had Freddie Freeman hit fewer than five home runs in his first 43 games of a season.
The Dodgers reached the 43game mark on Wednesday and Freeman had just three home runs, none since April 24. Freeman had joked about the lack of homers a few times recently, making one wonder if it was actually bothering him.
“No — as long as I hit .300,” he said. “I still play the same way. I’ve always been a line drive hitter, gap to gap. The homers will come.”
One finally came in the second inning Thursday night at Chase Field. The three-run homer ended a 128-plate appearance wait for Freeman and was part of another big day for the big three at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup as they pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 14-1.
Mookie Betts reached base four times and scored twice. Freeman drove in five runs with his homer
and two doubles. Trea Turner was 2 for 4 with an RBI triple.
Everyone in the Dodgers’ starting lineup had a hit. But the power trio at the top combined to go 8 for 11 with seven runs scored and six driven in — just in the first six innings.
The Dodgers have now scored 154 runs in the month of May — an average of 6.4 per game. Thursday was the seventh time this month they have scored nine or more in a game. Their 24 hits against the Diamondbacks are a season-high in MLB and fell one short of matching the franchise’s Los Angeles record.
It took just 11 batters into the game for the Dodgers to score six times against the Diamondbacks. They scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third time in their past four games.
The lone exception in that time was Wednesday — Betts’ day off.
Betts was back at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup in Arizona, batted in each of the first three innings and reached base each time — on a double, walk and single. Freeman followed Betts’ first-inning double with one of his own to drive in Betts.
Betts now has at least one extra-base hit in each of his past seven starts and has scored at least once in each of his past 13 starts.
Will Smith drove Freeman in with an RBI single and the Dodgers piled on in the second inning. Cody Bellinger led off with a single and scored on Chris Taylor’s double. After a fly out, Betts drew a walk.
That brought up Freeman who got a slider down and in from Diamondbacks starter Humberto Castellanos. It was neither down nor in enough and Freeman clubbed it 389 feet into the right field seats.
Freeman nearly had a second home run in the sixth inning when he lined a ball off the wall in straightaway center field. The 418foot drive went for his second double of the game and was one of five consecutive hits by the Dodgers in the four-run inning.
Freeman has 18 doubles, matching Jackie Robinson (1950) for the most by a Dodger in the first 44 games of the season – and matching his replacement (Braves first baseman Matt Olson) for the major-league lead.
The Diamondbacks’ only run of the game came in traditional fashion — a Christian Walker home run. Fifteen of Walker’s 64 career homers have come against the Dodgers including four of his 12 this year.