July 4 – Christian Walker homers twice, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a decisive 12-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.
Christian Walker continued his dominance over the division rivals, hitting two home runs. Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also contributed to the home run tally as the visiting Diamondbacks stormed to a 12-4 win against the Dodgers.
Walker has now hit seven home runs in eight games against the Dodgers this season. His performance included four hits, a double, and three runs scored, highlighting his impact in Arizona’s comeback from an early three-run deficit.
Diamondbacks’ right-hander Cristian Mena, despite giving up four runs to the first four batters in his major league debut, saw the pitching staff keep the Dodgers scoreless for the rest of the game.
Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, giving the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. Dodgers starter Gavin Stone, who had a 1.62 ERA over his past six starts, struggled, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks over three innings, while striking out three.
The Diamondbacks initially took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with the bases loaded but managed only a sacrifice fly from Gurriel.
Freeman’s three-run home run and Hernandez’s solo shot provided a 4-1 advantage for Los Angeles. However, as Mena found his footing, the Diamondbacks tied the game in the third inning with Eugenio Suarez’s RBI double and Moreno’s two-run home run.
Mena’s final line was four runs on four hits over three innings, with three walks and two strikeouts.
Arizona seized a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning with Walker’s first home run of the game against Ryan Yarbrough (3-2). Geraldo Perdomo added to the lead with a bunt single in the fifth, followed by Gurriel’s two-run homer in the sixth and Suarez’s RBI double in the eighth, extending the lead to 9-4.
Walker capped the scoring with a three-run homer in the ninth, marking his 20th home run of the season.
The Diamondbacks’ impressive offensive display and resilient pitching secured a dominant win over their rivals, improving their record against the Dodgers to 3-2 this season.