PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Power got the Los Angeles Dodgers started. Patience gave them a win.
Max Muncy, Yasmani Grandal, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson hit solo homers and Alex Verdugo scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning, lifting Los Angeles to a 7-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in a matchup of division leaders Monday night.
Maikel Franco hit a pair of solo homers and Rhys Hoskins and Odubel Herrera also went deep for the Phillies.
Verdugo led off the ninth with a walk against closer Seranthony Dominguez (1-3). Pederson followed with a single. After Manny Machado struck out, Muncy walked. Verdugo scored when catcher Jorge Alfaro couldn’t catch Dominguez’s outside pitch. Dominguez exited after walking Grandal. Matt Kemp greeted Luis Garcia with an RBI single to make it 7-5.
“We felt him out, looked at a lot of tough pitches, and came back with a big inning,” Kemp said of Dominguez.
Scott Alexander (2-0) tossed a scoreless inning for the win. Kenley Jansen finished for his 29th save in 32 chances. Franco hit Jansen’s first pitch out to left for his 15th homer.
Chase Utley, a six-time All-Star second baseman during Philadelphia’s glory days a decade ago, received two loud, standing ovations before the game and when he came to the plate for the first time. Utley recently announced he’s retiring after the season so this will likely be his final series playing in Philadelphia unless the Dodgers face the Phillies in the postseason. He went 0 for 4.
“It was a lot of fun, it was intense, it was emotional,” Utley said. “Fans here mean a lot to me. The respect they’ve shown me the last three years is special.”
Down 4-1 in the fifth, the Phillies rallied against Ross Stripling. With two outs and runners on second and third, Hoskins ripped a 2-2 pitch out to left-center for his 17th homer.
Herrera followed with his 18th homer into Philadelphia’s bullpen to make it 5-4.
Machado lined an opposite-field triple to right off reliever Tommy Hunter in the seventh and scored on Muncy’s sacrifice fly.
Machado started at third base for the first time this season, replacing Justin Turner. The four-time All-Star was acquired from Baltimore last week. He switched to shortstop, his original position, at the start of this season.
Machado heard cheers from Phillies fans, who were disappointed he wasn’t traded to Philadelphia but remain hopeful the team signs him in free agency.
Muncy and Grandal hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
Taylor made it 3-0 in the third with an opposite-field homer to right. Pederson connected off Yacksel Rios in the fourth.
“Extremely tough loss but really proud of the tenacity of our club,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.
STARTING TIME
Dodgers: Stripling gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Phillies: Zach Eflin lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits in his shortest outing this year.
MANAGER UTLEY?
Utley said he wants to spend more time with his wife and two sons, but he also wants to find a way to be around baseball.
“At the end of the year, I’d like to make my own schedule to be honest with you,” he said. “But I feel like I can give back in a number of different ways. Yeah, I want to be involved. Managing, coaching, I’m not quite sure that’s the path, but you never know.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Turner went on the 10-day disabled because of a strained groin and Verdugo was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Phillies: Eflin was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list before the game.
UP NEXT
RHP Kenta Maeda (7-5, 3.12 ERA) goes against Phillies All-Star RHP Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.30) on Tuesday night. Maeda is 3-1, 4.37 in five career starts vs. Philadelphia. Nola, who struck out two batters in a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, is 2-0, 2.93 in two starts vs. Los Angeles.
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