Christian Walker hit a home run that put his team ahead in the fourth inning and then hit another homer with three runners on base in the ninth inning. These were his 16th and 17th career home runs at Dodger Stadium. The Arizona Diamondbacks had a tough start but ended up beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-4 on Wednesday night.
Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also hit two-run home runs for Arizona. The Diamondbacks were losing 4-1 early in the game, but they didn’t give up. Cristian Mena, who was making his debut in Major League Baseball, had a good performance as a starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks.
Christian Walker, who had a strong game, said, “It was a gutsy performance.” The Diamondbacks had lost the first game of the series in a close finish on Tuesday, but they stayed focused and kept fighting back.
Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández hit home runs in the first inning for the Dodgers, who lead the NL West. After starting the game strong, the Dodgers struggled to get hits. Arizona had 16 hits in total.
Walker had a fantastic game, going 4 for 5 with four runs batted in (RBIs) and three runs scored. In the fourth inning, with two outs, he hit a home run off Ryan Yarbrough to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead. In the ninth inning, he hit his 20th home run of the season, a two-out home run off Michael Petersen.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Walker, saying, “It’s otherworldly. He doesn’t give anything away. He’s one of the guys I really enjoy watching play.” Walker has hit seven home runs in eight games against the Dodgers this season. Since 2018, he has hit 17 home runs at Dodger Stadium, which is the most by any player from another team. He has hit home runs in four consecutive games in Los Angeles.
Walker commented, “It’s a good place to hit, see the ball well.” He credited his success to the strong lineup around him, which gives him the confidence to swing for big hits and try to change the score.
Bryce Jarvis got the win as a relief pitcher for Arizona.
