Matt Kemp homered twice and Yasiel Puig went 4-for-5 as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 8-4 on Tuesday night for their first four game winning streak of the season.
The Dodgers sent Josh Beckett out for the opener of the three game set with the Braves. Beckett struggled a bit through his 4 1/3 innings pitched, giving up nine hits and four earned runs. Beckett walked four batters as he racked up 105 pitches. Beckett gave up a two run home run to Freddie Freeman, moving his ERA to 2.74. Beckett came back out for the fourth before giving up two hits and a run. He was quickly relieved by Jamey Wright who retired all five batters he faced. Brandon League and JP Howell got the game to Kenley Jansen, who was called upon to complete the four out save with two on in the eighth. Jansen recorded his 31st save.
An important announcement flashed across the Dodgers big board in center field in the second inning. The Dodgers players put together a playful press conference announcing that legendary Vin Scully would be returning for his 66th season in 2015. The crowd erupted into a standing ovation for Scully, who also initiated the Dodgers in 2015 trend worldwide on twitter with the announcement. Scully has been with the Dodgers since their days in Brooklyn. The 66 seasons with the Dodgers (1950-present) is the longest tenure of any broadcaster with a single team in professional sports history, and is second by one year to Tommy Lasorda in terms of numbers of years with the Dodgers organization in any capacity. He is currently 86 years old and has called three perfect games, 25 World Series, and 12 All-Star Games. Scully called the Los Angeles Dodgers world championships in 1959, ’63, ’65, ’81, and ’88.
Matt Kemp added to the cheering of the Scully announcement in the second with a two run home run to give the boys in blue the 2-1 lead at the time. Yasiel Puig led off the fifth with a triple, adding to his single and double he recorded earlier in the game, putting himself in line for a potential cycle. Adrian Gonzalez scorched a double into the gap to bring in Puig and Carl Crawford followed by singling home Gonzalez to tie the game at four.
The Dodgers blew things open in the seventh when Puig, who went 4-for-4 at the plate, beat out an infield single to lead off the inning. A single from Gonzalez moved Puig to third, and a ground out from Crawford scored Puig for the 5-4 lead. After a Hanley Ramirez strikeout, Matt Kemp crushed his second home run of the night for his second multi home run game of the season and his seventh in his career. Kemp smashed the pitch to straight away center field for the 7-4 lead, capping off a three run seventh inning. Puig came up in the eighth with a chance for the cycle but struck out swinging. The crowd appreciated the big 4-for-5 night from Puig, giving him a standing ovation as he walked back to the dugout. Gonzalez added a double in the eighth to drive in Dee Gordon, who singled and stole second base. The double from Gonzalez gave him his second of the game and capped his three hit night.
The Dodgers will have Zack Greinke on the mound for the Wednesday night contest against the Braves. With the win Los Angeles picks up another game in the NL West as the Giants lost to the Pirates.