The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to take a two games to none lead in their National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers opened the best-of-five series with a 9-5 victory Friday night, with Justin Turner driving in five runs to tie a Dodger postseason record.
Rich Hill will pitch for the Dodgers against Robbie Ray in a matchup of left-handers.
Ray pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief in the National League wild-card game Wednesday.
“My arm feels great and ready to go,” Ray said.
Ray was 15-5 in the regular season, setting a career record for victories, and had a 2.89 ERA. He matched his career high with 218 strikeouts, walked 71 and was selected for the National League all-star team.
Ray was 6-0, including two victories over the Dodgers, with a 2.28 ERA after being activated from the disabled list on Aug. 24. He was placed on the disabled list July 29 because of a concussion suffered a day earlier when he was hit in the head by a batted ball.
Ray was 3-0 against the Dodgers with a 2.27 ERA.
“He’s one of the elite pitchers in the National League,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s got a plus fastball, pounds righties in, he works both sides of the plate, he’s got a really good slider.
I think if he makes a mistake, we’ve got to be able to capitalize.”
Hill was 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA in his first full season with the Dodgers, holding opponents to a .203 batting average, striking out 166 batters and walking 49. Hill was 0-3 against the Diamondbacks with a 5.03 ERA.
The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Maury Wills, the 1962 National League MVP when he set a since-broken record with 104 stolen bases and a member of the Dodgers World Series-winning teams in 1959, 1963 and 1965.
The national anthem will be sung by Elliott Yamin, the third-place finisher in the 2006 season of “American Idol.”
All potential postseason games at Dodger Stadium through the National League Championship Series are sold out.
Turner was three-for-four with a three-run homer in the first inning and RBI singles in the fourth and eighth.
“He hit a good pitch,” on the homer, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “It was a mistake pitch and he made us pay for it.”
Turner has reached base safely in 16 of his last 17 postseason games, batting .397 during that stretch.
Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher to allow four home runs in a postseason game and be credited with the victory. Kershaw was the first Dodger to allow four home runs in a postseason game.
“He gave up four solo homers but who cares,” Turner said. “When you have a lead like that, it’s about attacking guys, not giving up free bases. I thought he was spectacular for us.”
Roberts removed Kershaw after he allowed homers to Ketel Marte and Jeff Mathis on back-to-back pitches with one out in the seventh.
Kershaw struck out seven, walked three and allowed five hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Three Dodger relievers limited the Diamondbacks to an unearned run and three hits over the final 2 2/3 innings before a capacity crowd announced at 54,707.
The first five Dodgers reached base off Arizona right-hander Taijuan Walker. Chris Taylor singled and Corey Sager walked before Turner’s home run. Cody Bellinger followed Turner’s homer with a single and scored on Yasiel Puig’s double.
Lovullo replaced Walker with Zack Godley at the start of the second after a 48-pitch first inning.
“Forty-eight pitches (in) one inning is a lot for any pitcher to absorb,” Lovullo said. “He never got into a rhythm. They hit a couple mistakes and unfortunately he never got grounded.”
Walker took the loss, allowing four runs, all earned, and four hits, walking two and striking out three.
The Dodgers added three runs in the fourth.
Seager singled in Logan Forsythe, who singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on Kershaw’s sacrifice. Turner singled in Taylor, who walked. Puig grounded out to drive in Seager.
In the eighth, Seager tripled in pinch-hitter Austin Barnes who led off with a single. Turner followed with a single, driving in Seager.
The previous Dodgers to drive in five runs in a postseason game were Davey Lopes in the 1978 World Series and Pedro Guerrero in the 1981 World Series.
Each of Arizona’s first four runs came on solo homers.
A.J. Pollock homered with two outs in the third. J.D. Martinez homered in the sixth after Paul Goldschmidt grounded into a double play.
Marte scored an unearned run in the ninth as Seager, the Dodgers shortstop, was charged with an error on a wild throw trying to complete a game- ending double play.
Marte had singled with one out, went to second on defensive indifference and third on a ground ball hit by pinch-hitter Jake Lamb to Bellinger, the Dodgers first baseman.
Bellinger threw to Seager who stepped on second to force out Daniel Descalso, then made his errant throw.
Dodger reliever Kenley Jansen grabbed a line drive by David Peralta for the final out.
—City News Service