LOS ANGELES — Brandon Pfaadt became the first seven-game winner in the majors this season, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a commanding 9-5 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Gabriel Moreno, and Geraldo Perdomo each blasted two-run homers to power Arizona’s offense, handing the Dodgers their fourth straight loss at home—their longest such skid since May 2018.
The Dodgers, coming off a humiliating sweep by the last-place Los Angeles Angels, continued their defensive struggles, allowing six or more runs for the fifth time in seven games during this homestand. Fans at Dodger Stadium voiced their frustration early as Landon Knack surrendered back-to-back two-run homers to Gurriel and Moreno in the third inning, extending Arizona’s lead to 7-0.
Dodgers opener Jack Dreyer (2-2) dug an early hole, giving up three runs in the first inning on Eugenio Suárez’s RBI double, Josh Naylor’s run-scoring groundout, and Perdomo’s sacrifice fly. A miscommunication between rookie center fielder Hyeseong Kim and right fielder Teoscar Hernández on Suárez’s fly ball—which dropped after Kim signaled too late that he had lost it—cost Los Angeles a crucial out.
Pfaadt (7-3) was nearly flawless early, retiring the first nine batters before Mookie Betts broke through with a solo homer in the fourth. The right-hander later gave up back-to-back homers to Shohei Ohtani and Betts in the sixth but still exited with a comfortable 7-3 lead after six strong innings, walking just one. Shelby Miller closed out the game for his fifth save.
Arizona’s pitching staff didn’t record a strikeout until Juan Morillo fanned Hernández in the seventh—an unusual feat in a game where they still managed to stifle the Dodgers’ lineup.
Key Moment
Perdomo, batting ninth, hit a two-run homer off reliever Matt Sauer in the eighth, sealing the Dodgers’ fate.
Key Stat
The back-to-back homers by Ohtani and Betts marked the first time the Dodgers had gone deep consecutively since Freddie Freeman and Hernández did so in Game 4 of last year’s World Series against the New York Yankees.
Up Next
The Diamondbacks will pitch Ryne Nelson against the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who aims to stop his team’s losing streak.
