Arizona Diamondbacks first team to sweep the 2017 Dodgers
By Trisha Garcia
In a season-high-tying, seven-game winning streak, the Arizona Diamondbacks sent the Los Angeles Dodgers packing on a five-game losing streak.
The Arizona Diamondbacks became the first team to sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers with an 8-1 victory on Thursday.
No one else has been able to sweep the Dodgers this year, but the Diamondbacks laid into their starters early and often. The Diamondbacks offense hit six home runs and scored a total of 17 earned runs off of the Dodgers starters.
Kenta Maeda was no exception. Maeda gave up seven runs, including two home runs, while only pitching three innings.
None of the Dodgers starters made it to the fifth inning in this series.
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The opposite was true for the Diamondbacks. While Zack Greinke earned his first win against his former team this season, he pitched six innings. Greinke allowed one earned run on four hits, but struck out six batters as well.
In the previous two games, Zack Godley pitched six innings and struckout five, while Robbie Ray pitched 6.2 innings and fanned 10 batters.
At the plate, the Diamondbacks hit for a team average of .316, while managing a .368 OBP and a .622 slugging percentage.
Leading the offense was, without a doubt, Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt went 5-for-11 with four runs scored, five RBI, a walk, a double and two home runs. His average throughout the series is .455 as he pushes for the National League MVP award.
But, A.J. Pollock’s hot bat returned. The centerfielder went 3-for-10 with three runs scored, five RBI, a walk and two home runs.
In fact, only two Diamondbacks batters did not score a run – Rey Fuentes and Zack Greinke. Both had two at-bats as a pinch hitter and the starting pitcher, respectively. Even Godley and Ray scored runs, while Ray helped his own cause with a 2-for-3 performance.
With the Dodgers current losing streak, the Diamondbacks are now 16 games back in the division. They were 21 before earning two-straight series sweeps against divisional opponents.
The Colorado Rockies had the day off on Thursday, so with the victory over the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks have taken a 3.5-game lead in the Wild Card race.
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They will head to Coors Field in Denver for a three-game series against the Rockies starting Friday night.