Dodgers win 11th straight, spoil Moncada's White Sox debut (Jul 19, 2017)
CHICAGO (AP) Kike Hernandez had two home runs to lead the surging Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-1 victory Wednesday night in a rain-shortened game, spoiling the Chicago White Sox debut of top prospect Yoan Moncada.
Hernandez broke out of a 1-for-23 slump with home runs in his first two at-bats, lifting the Dodgers to their 11th straight win and 31st victory in 35 games.
The game was called in the top of the eighth inning after a 37-minute delay.
Hernandez had solo home runs in the second and fourth innings, his second career multi-homer game.
Chicago starter Carlos Rodon (1-3) allowed home runs to his first batter, as Chris Taylor led the game off with one, and his last, as Corey Seager's two-run homer in the fourth chased him.
Seager's blast was his 44th as a shortstop, passing Rafael Furcal for most career homers from the position in franchise history.
Moncada, a second baseman acquired in December as the main piece in a trade with Boston for ace Chris Sale, batted sixth and was hitless in two at-bats. He drew a walk in his first plate appearance for the White Sox, then grounded out in the fourth inning and flied out in the sixth.
The White Sox sold about 5,000 tickets Wednesday partly in response to Moncada's call-up from Triple-A Charlotte, according to the team.
After Taylor's home run, Melky Cabrera answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the first to tie the score.
Rodon allowed three walks and struck out four.
Kenta Maeda (8-4) allowed one run and five hits in five innings, striking out three. Reliever Ross Stribling threw two scoreless innings, retiring the final six batters he faced.
Three straight doubles by Yaisiel Puig, Trayce Thompson and Taylor and RBI singles from Seager and Justin Turner in the four-run sixth inning closed the scoring for the Dodgers, who have won 14 of 15 games.
QUOTEABLE
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confidently responded to a pre-game question about fellow National League teams making moves, as Arizona acquired OF J.D. Martinez on Tuesday and the Chicago Cubs traded for LHP Jose Quintana last week.
''We're very aware of what's going on around baseball. We still know we're the best team,'' Roberts said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (bruised left foot) pitched four innings of a simulated game on Wednesday. ''He looked really good,'' Roberts said. Ryu is scheduled to pitch against Minnesota on Monday, serving as a sixth starter for one turn in the rotation.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: The Dodgers return home for four games with Atlanta starting Thursday when RHP Brandon McCarthy (6-3, 3.38 ERA) opposes RHP Mike Foltynewicz (7-5, 3.84 ERA) of the Braves.
White Sox: Chicago will head to Kansas City for three games starting Friday as RHP James Shields (2-2, 5.10 ERA) faces his former team against RHP Ian Kennedy (3-6, 4.32 ERA).
