Dodgers erupt late to finish sweep of Phillies

David Freese hit a home run in the seventh inning, and added an RBI single in seven-run eighth, as the Los Angeles Dodgers broke loose late after an early pitchers' duel to earn an 8-0 victory on Sunday and a three-game sweep over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Dodgers starter Rich Hill (2-1) gave up three hits over seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Phillies starter Nick Pivetta also gave up three hits with nine strikeouts, doing it over six scoreless innings.

With Pivetta out of the game, Freese went deep against Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (2-3) for the first run from either team. It was his sixth home run of the season and second in two games. Freese entered in the fifth inning as a replacement at first base for Matt Beaty, who had a mild hip flexor strain. Joc Pederson hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning, his 18th, while Alex Verdugo, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez drove in runs during the inning, as well as Freese. The seven runs matched the most in an inning for the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers won for the fifth consecutive time and earned their ninth victory in their past 10 games, while sweeping a series for the seventh time. The Phillies were swept by an opponent for the first time. Hill has 32 strikeouts over his last four starts, going back to a 10-strikeout performance May 17 at Cincinnati. Over those four outings, the left-hander has a 1.08 ERA, although the Dodgers lost two of those games.

Right-hander Pedro Baez pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Dodgers, while Joe Kelly pitched a perfect ninth. Pivetta made a solid case to remain in the Phillies rotation. He returned last Tuesday after a month at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and gave up three runs on three hits over five innings against the St. Louis Cardinals before shutting down the powerful Dodgers offense Sunday.

The Dodgers' Cody Bellinger extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a seventh-inning single. Freese extended his hitting streak to eight games with his home run. The Dodgers' Justin Turner returned to action Sunday with a walk as a pinch hitter. Turner did not start for the fourth consecutive game because of a hamstring issue, but is expected to return to the starting lineup Monday at Arizona.

--Field Level Media

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