Dodgers 6, Phillies 1
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers collected 14 hits and got a strong start from Stephen Fife to clinch their first home series win over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies in four years with a 6-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angles earned its eighth win in nine games to pull within four games of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West race.
Fife (3-2) pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball, his longest career start, to shut down the Phillies lineup while picking up five strikeouts. Fife made easy work of the Phillies' power hitters, who had just one hit against him, a single by Jimmy Rollins.
The heart of the Los Angeles lineup, meanwhile, is still beating, and still beating up Philadelphia.
Yasiel Puig broke the Dodgers' rookie record for hits in a month after finishing a home run short of the cycle with a 4-for-5 performance. Puig had two singles, a double and a triple, stole two bases and scored twice.
Adrian Gonzalez added an RBI double, Hanley Ramirez had an RBI single to extend hitting streak to 12 games, and Matt Kemp added two hits, an RBI and a run. A.J. Ellis went 3-for-4, scored a run and drove in one.
The Dodgers drilled ineffective Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (7-5). The right-hander allowed 10 hits and four runs in six innings.
Los Angeles struck first with a fruitful fourth inning.
Puig singled to lead off the inning and stole second. Two batters later, Ramirez singled him home. Ramirez stole second, advanced to third on a groundout by Andre Ethier and scored on a Kemp single. Kemp advanced to second on a balk, to third on an Ellis single and scored on an Jerry Hairston Jr. single to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
NOTES: The Dodgers called up RHP Chris Withrow from Triple-A Albuquerque after six straight scoreless appearances. Withrow, who was 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA this year in 24 minor league appearances, allowed a ninth-inning run to the Phillies. ... RHP Matt Guerrier was designated for assignment to make room for Withrow on the Los Angeles roster. Guerrier struggled in his last appearance, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings against Philadelphia on Friday. ... LHP Ted Lilly (strained neck) made a rehab start for Class A Rancho Cucamonga but left the game after being hit with a line drive in the leg in the fourth inning. ... Los Angeles OF Carl Crawford made a rehab start for Rancho Cucamonga. He's been out since June 2 due to a left hamstring strain after batting .301 in 51 games. ... Phillies OF Ben Revere reached base in seven consecutive plate appearances before grounding out in the eighth inning. ... Heralded -- and hard-throwing -- Dodgers rookie RHP Jose Dominguez made his first career appearance after having his contract purchased from Albuquerque on Saturday. He threw a scoreless eighth inning.
