LDN - Sports

Seager's two homers power Dodgers past Phils

[August 09, 2016] LOS ANGELES -- Putting your name in the record book is great, but winning is the standard by which all clubs are measured, Corey Seager believes.

Seager homered twice and set a club record for homers in a season by a Los Angeles shortstop, leading the Dodgers to a 9-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies before 48,370 at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.

Seager, who now has a club-leading 21 home runs, broke Hanley Ramirez's 2013 Los Angeles mark of 19.

"It's cool. I don't really know what to think of (the record). You haven't really thought about it during the year, you're just kind of worried about winning," said Seager, who is one behind Glenn Wright's franchise shortstop mark of 22, set in 1930, and is one of eight rookies to top 20 homers in Dodgers history. "It's one of those things that there will come a time when you'll think back on it, but right now, it's about winning that night."

Manager Dave Roberts said many facets of Seager's game impress him, but the poise of the 22-year-old All-Star stands out, too.

"When you don't think he can do anymore, he continues to exceed that," Roberts said. "Every time he comes up to bat, something special can happen."

Chase Utley, in his first meeting with his former club since the Dodgers obtained him last August, and Yasmani Grandal also homered for the Dodgers. Los Angeles (63-49) captured its third consecutive win and remained one game back of the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants, who beat the Miami Marlins 8-7 in 14 innings.

Los Angeles center fielder Joc Pederson was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, including one in the eighth inning to cap the scoring. He finished with three RBIs.

Seager's home run and a two-run double by Pederson highlighted a five-run first and produced a deficit too large for the Phillies to overcome.

"It's nice to score runs early, and it was nice to also keep scoring runs," Seager said. "We've had some games before where we scored early and kind of fell off, so it was nice to kind of keep it on them."

Tommy Joseph hit a solo homer, his 15th, for the Phillies (52-62) in the eighth.

Dodgers 19-year-old rookie Julio Urias (2-2) allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks in five innings. He won for the first time since June 28.

Phillies starter Zach Eflin surrendered seven runs and lasted just three innings. Eflin (3-5) gave up seven hits and two walks without recording a strikeout.

"It would have been awesome to come here and throw well in Dodger Stadium, but you unfortunately can't always have what you want," said Eflin, who was traded by the Dodgers to the Phillies in 2014 for shortstop Jimmy Rollins. "But you just build on it for the next outing."

Seager hammered a solo blast to right-center with one out in the first to give the Dodgers an early lead. After Justin Turner doubled and Josh Reddick walked, Adrian Gonzalez singled home Turner for a 2-0 advantage.

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Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Pederson's RBI double scored Reddick and Gonzalez to make it 4-0. Rob Segedin's sacrifice fly plated Grandal for a 5-0 edge.

Utley led off the second inning with a solo shot to right for a 6-0 cushion. It was Utley's eighth homer this season.

The Phillies loaded the bases in the third and scored two runs after Urias fielded a comebacker but threw wildly to Grandal at the plate, allowing Aaron Altherr and Maikel Franco to score. That play ended Philadelphia's 22-inning scoring drought at Dodger Stadium.

Cameron Rupp followed with an RBI base hit, pulling the Phillies within 6-3.

However, Grandal slugged a solo home run, his 17th of the season, an estimated 440 feet right to push the margin back to four runs in the bottom of the third.

"That was I think the longest home run I've seen hit here by Grandal," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It is what it is. (Eflin) didn't pitch well."

NOTES: The Dodgers recalled RHP Josh Ravin from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed RHP Joe Blanton on the bereavement list. Ravin opened the season on the 60-day disabled list with a fractured left forearm sustained in a car accident, and he was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. "I think the air with the suspension has been cleared. We're happy to have Josh here to win some games," manager Dave Roberts said. ... OF Rob Segedin, who drove in a club-record four RBIs for a player making his debut Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, started in left field Monday to give Howie Kendrick a rest. Segedin went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly. ... Since 2012, Philadelphia has lost three of the previous four series against Los Angeles. ... Phillies RHP Vince Velasquez (8-3, 3.33 ERA) will face Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (10-7, 3.22 ERA) on Tuesday.

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