LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles Dodgers can’t play all their games at home, surely a relief to the rest of the majors.
Enriqué Hernández, Max Muncy and Justin Turner went deep to help Los Angeles beat the Atlanta Braves 9-4 on Wednesday night for its 10th straight win at home.
The Dodgers have homered in 17 of 19 home games. They are 15-4 at Chavez Ravine, tops in the majors.
The NL West leaders outscored the Braves 23-7 in the series.
“They’re going to be right in it over there in the East, so it feels good to sweep them at home,” Clayton Kershaw said.
Kershaw (2-0) gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out a season-low four and walked one while remaining unbeaten in 11 career starts against the Braves.
“One of those nights that could be super frustrating to think about personally, so I’m not going to,” Kershaw said. “A lot of things you could probably pick apart.”
Still, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is glad to have his ace back after a shoulder issue forced Kershaw to start the season on the injured list.
“Number one, he’s healthy and he’s making his starts, which are most important to us,” Roberts said. “Has it been as dominating as he would expect or like? Probably not, but there are good hitters in this league.”
The Dodgers took an early 3-0 lead against Mike Foltynewicz (0-2). Hernández homered into the left field pavilion with two outs in the second. Muncy’s blast to right came in the third.
“It seemed like when you do make a mistake it’s going over the fence,” Foltynewicz said.
The Braves pulled to 3-2 in the fourth on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s two-run homer - his lone hit in a series in which he was 1 for 11.
Los Angeles extended its lead to 4-2 in the fifth on Muncy’s RBI single. Another run scored on Foltynewicz’s wild pitch that sailed to the backstop.
Josh Donaldson’s two-out RBI single chased Kershaw in the seventh. Freddie Freeman, who went 3 for 4, followed with an RBI single off Scott Alexander to close to 5-4.
The Dodgers responded with two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Corey Seager’s infield single to the catcher and Alex Verdugo’s RBI single off A.J. Minter made it 7-4.
Turner homered in the eighth for the second straight game. His two-run shot came a night after he connected three times in a 9-0 victory. He had four homers in the series and is heating up at the plate after a slow start in April.
“Just need to tell him the season starts May 1,” Kershaw said.
Foltynewicz, who missed the first month of the season with elbow problems, has struggled in his last two outings. He allowed six runs, two earned, and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings at San Diego last week.
Against the Dodgers, the right-hander gave up five runs and five hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked four.
“This is probably like my spring training,” Foltynewicz said. “To get out here and get major league hitters out we’ve just kind of got to get back to where we were last year a little bit. Watch a little bit more video and slow myself down out there.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: LHP Max Fried is in line to make his next start after getting hit in his pitching hand by Alex Verdugo’s liner Tuesday. He’ll throw a side session Thursday or Friday.
Dodgers: LHP Caleb Ferguson (oblique) followed up his simulated game with a throwing session from 60 feet. Next up is a rehab start.
KELLY BEING KELLY
Joe Kelly retired the side in the ninth on 11 pitches, topping out at 98 mph.
He has struggled to adjust since joining the Dodgers after winning the World Series against them with Boston last fall.
“That’s the Joe Kelly we all saw last October,” Turner said, “so hopefully it’s a momentum builder for him.”
SWANSON’S STREAK
Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the second. He is batting .300 with a homer and four RBIs during that stretch.
UP NEXT
Braves: RH Mike Soroka (3-1, 1.14 ERA) starts Thursday in the opener of a four-game set at Arizona.
Dodgers: LH Rich Hill (0-0, 3.60 ERA) makes his third start of the season in the series opener at home Thursday against the Nationals. He last faced them on May 19, 2018, throwing just two pitches before leaving with a blister.
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