Rookies Ryan Ward and Alex Freeland each hit home runs in the fourth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away for a 9-1 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a season-high 10 strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless innings as the Dodgers rebounded from a loss on Saturday to improve to 14-3 since May 13. Max Muncy also hit a home run for Los Angeles.
Ward’s home run was the first of his career in his third major league game, which was also his home debut.
Bryson Stott hit a home run as the Phillies lost two of three at Los Angeles following a three-game sweep at San Diego. Rookie right-hander Andrew Painter (1-6) was tagged for four runs on seven hits in a season-low 3 1/3 innings.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto departed the game in the fourth inning, one inning after he was hit in the left wrist by a 97-mph fastball from Yamamoto.
Freeland, who was recalled last week, gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI double. Los Angeles made it 2-0 in the third on an RBI single from Kyle Tucker that hit off the first-base bag and hopped into right field.
Ward’s home run, to the back of the Phillies’ bullpen in right field, came as the leadoff hitter in the fourth. The 28-year-old, who has 156 minor league home runs in seven seasons, made his long-awaited major league debut April 19 and was recalled again Friday.
Two batters after Ward went deep, Freeland also hit a home run to right field for a 4-0 lead, his third.
The Phillies had runners on second and third with one out against Yamamoto in fifth, but Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner struck out. The Dodgers made it 6-0 in their half of the fifth on a pinch-hit single from Alex Call, who was hitting for Ward.
Freddie Freeman had a pair of late sacrifice flies and Muncy hit a solo shot, his 14th homer this season, in the seventh.
Stott hit his home run to lead off the ninth.
