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3 straight homers, walk-off single in 9th lifts Los Angeles Dodgers past Philadelphia

By Forrest Lee, The Sports Xchange
Three straight homers and a walk-off single lifted the Dodgers past the Phillies. Photo courtesy Los Angeles Dodgers via Twitter.
Three straight homers and a walk-off single lifted the Dodgers past the Phillies. Photo courtesy Los Angeles Dodgers via Twitter.

LOS ANGELES -- In almost a half-century of baseball, 65-year-old Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin couldn't recall a more devastating defeat.

"It's one of the worst losses I've ever been associated with, the way we lost," Mackanin said. "The way they tied it was tough to take. A real letdown tonight."

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Adrian Gonzalez hit a walk-off single after Los Angeles homered three straight times to open the ninth inning, lifting the Dodgers to a 6-5 victory over the Phillies on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

Phillies closer Hector Neris (0-1) entered the ninth with his club leading 5-2 before serving up consecutive home runs to Yasiel Puig and rookie Cody Bellinger, who hit the second of his first two major league homers.

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Puig jumped on a fastball for his fifth home run of the season, while Bellinger turned on a heater and smacked his solo shot off the right-field foul pole.

Justin Turner followed as a pinch-hitter and delivered his first homer of the season, hitting an 0-1 fastball off Neris, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games and tying the score at 5.

"Bad day," Nerris said.

Not for the Dodgers.

"It was extremely exciting. It was a great way to come back, one of those unexepected ways," said Gonzalez, who went 2-for-5. "One thing would have been a single, a walk and a three-run homer, but back-to-back-to-back like that (off) a very tough pitcher was pretty fun."

It was the first time the Dodgers drilled three long balls in a row since Hanley Ramirez, James Loney and Luis Cruz accomplished the feat Aug. 12, 2012 in Atlanta.

After Neris gave up a base hit to pinch-hitter Austin Barnes, Joely Rodriguez relieved him. Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager lined a single to left off Rodriguez before Gonzalez punched the game-winner off the glove of third baseman Maikel Franco and past shortstop Freddy Galvis to plate Barnes.

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"I've never been a part of anything like this," said Bellinger, who became the first Dodger since Puig to homer multiple times for his first big-league long balls. Puig did so on June 4, 2013, against the San Diego Padres.

"It was a crazy moment and I'm glad to be a part of it. I'm kind of speechless right now," Bellinger said.

Grant Dayton (1-0), who was activated from the 10-day disabled list earlier in the day, retired the side in the ninth for the win for the Dodgers (13-12).

Brook Stassi and Andrew Knapp homered for the Phillies (11-11), who dropped their second in a row.

Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy allowed four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk in five innings, but did not figure into the decision.

Neither did Zach Eflin, who allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks in seven innings for Philadelphia.

Andrew Toles smoked the second pitch he saw from Eflin for a leadoff home run and a 1-0 lead. It was the second career leadoff homer for Toles, who has gone deep four times this season.

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Stassi launched his three-run blast off McCarthy after singles by Maikel Franco and Michael Saunders with one out in the fourth for a 3-1 edge. It was his second homer this season.

In the fifth, an RBI single by Daniel Nava scored Odubel Herrera, who led off the inning with a double to make it 4-1.

But it wouldn't hold up.

"What happened has happened, it's part of the game," said Franco, who was 2-for-5. "We can't force what happens today because it's happened already. Crazy things happen."

Bellinger hit his first home run off Eflin in the seventh.

NOTES: Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (blister on his middle pitching finger), who has been on the disabled list since April 6, threw a bullpen session that manager Dave Roberts called successful. Hill is scheduled to make a rehab start Thursday with Class A Rancho Cucamonga. ... Phillies CF Odubel Herrera recorded the game's top defensive gem, robbing Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig of a base hit by diving and snagging a line drive in the fourth inning. ... The Dodgers reinstated LHP Grant Dayton (intercostal strain) from the 10-day disabled list and optioned RHP Josh Fields to Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... Phillies RHP Nick Pivetta (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his major league debut and opposes Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-4, 4.64) in Sunday's series finale.

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