LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 while scattering three hits over seven innings, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Kiké Hernández each hit two-run homers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 on Wednesday night for their season-high seventh consecutive win.
The Dodgers' sweep helped them reduce their magic number to six for clinching their 13th NL West title in 14 years without injured Shohei Ohtani or Freddie Freeman
in the lineup.
They broke out for six runs in the fourth and had all nine starters reach base in their 11th straight win at home over the Reds. It was the Dodgers' most runs in an inning since June 27 when they had nine in Yamamoto's win over San Diego.
Yamamoto (13-8) retired 17 of his first 20 batters. His 13 wins are a career high, while his strikeouts tied a season best.
Betts had his fifth multi-hit game in the first eight games of September. The shortstop went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, three runs scored and a walk in raising his average to .249.
Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz homered in a career-high fifth consecutive game, sending the first pitch from Yamamoto 403 feet to center in the fourth. He also hit a first-pitch homer off Tarik Skubal on Tuesday.
NL Rookie of the Year contender Sal Stewart singled twice off Yamamoto and JJ Bleday walked.
The Dodgers' 13 runs of support were the most for Yamamoto since July 19.
In the fourth, Alex Freeland had an RBI double, Hernández followed with a two-run double and scored on reliever Luis Mey’s wild pitch before Teoscar Hernández’s two-run single went off the glove of De La Cruz for a 9-1 lead.
Betts' two-run shot off Reds starter Rhett Lowder (6-10) extended the lead to 3-0 in his fifth multi-hit game in the first eight games of September.
Kyle Tucker went deep off Reds position player Jose Trevino in the eighth.
Reds: After an off-day Thursday, LHP Andrew Abbott (6-10, 4.43 ERA) starts Friday's series opener at Milwaukee against LHP Kyle Harrison (10-4, 3.66).
Dodgers: They had not announced a starter for Friday's series opener at Miami.
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