Dodgers at Phillies
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies staged their own version of Home Run Derby during their series opener before a passed ball led the way for a two-run uprising in the ninth inning for the visitors. The red-hot Dodgers vie for a series victory over the Phillies on Tuesday when the teams reconvene at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
Joc Pederson, who belted one of Los Angeles' four solo homers, scored the eventual winning run on Matt Kemp's RBI single in the ninth inning of a 7-6 win on Monday. Kemp improved to 8-for-17 with two homers, three RBIs and five runs scored during his four-game hitting streak, although he is a woeful 0-for-11 with three strikeouts in his career versus Tuesday starter Aaron Nola. While the National League West-leading Dodgers have won seven of their last nine, the Phillies fell a percentage point behind Atlanta in the NL East after losing for the fourth time in six outings. Home Run Derby participant Rhys Hoskins, who belted a three-run shot on Monday for his third homer in as many games, has eight RBIs and five runs scored in his last four contests.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SportsNet Los Angeles, NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Kenta Maeda (7-5, 3.12 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.30)
Maeda pitched in relief his last time out and posted his second straight win despite hitting one batter and striking out another to strand the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The 30-year-old Japanese star owns a 3-1 mark in his last five trips to the mound, surrendering just four earned runs and 15 hits in the process. Maeda yielded two runs on three hits before departing with a hip injury after 1 2/3 innings of a 6-1 setback versus Philadelphia on May 29.
Nola distinguished himself nicely at the All-Star Game, striking out his first two batters before inducing Mike Trout to pop up to end the inning. The 25-year-old saw his four-start winning streak halted on July 14 despite permitting two runs on four hits in six innings of a 2-0 setback at Miami. Nola handcuffed the Dodgers over seven strong innings on May 31, yielding one run on two hits while striking out seven to improve to 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 0.714 WHIP in two career starts against the club.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia 3B Maikel Franco belted a pair of solo homers in the series opener after going just 2-for-12 in the previous set versus Los Angeles.
2. Dodgers 1B Max Muncy has six multi-hit performances in his last 10 games.
3. Los Angeles owns a 15-8 mark against NL East representatives this season.