Already in line to start his third career All-Star Game and first since 2012 [url=http://www.officialhockeypanthersshop.com/authentic-adidas-jamie-mcginn-jersey]Youth Jamie McGinn Jersey[/url] , Matt Kemp is keeping up a torrid pace.

Kemp tied a career high with five hits, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy hit back-to-back homers to highlight a six-run fourth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 17-1 on Monday night in the series opener.

Kemp hit a three-run homer in the sixth and drove in four runs for the second straight game. He came up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

He’s notched eight straight hits since Sunday against Colorado; the franchise record is 10.

”It’s been pretty good,” Kemp said. ”As a team, we did a pretty good job.”

Fans chanted ”MVP! MVP!” as Kemp crossed the plate after his 15th homer of the season. The veteran slugger is the second-leading vote getter among National League outfielders for the July 17 All-Star Game. Kemp also scored four runs.

”It was a clinic tonight, and everyone sort of fed off what he was doing at the plate,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Cody Bellinger homered in the third, leaving the Dodgers with 116 homers this season after they slugged a major league-leading and franchise-record 55 in June. They already have five long balls two days into July.

The Dodgers recorded season highs in hits (21) and runs. They batted around in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, tacking on three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth for a 17-1 lead.

”You never like when these games happen, but they seem to find a way to happen every now and then,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Alex Wood (5-5) allowed one run and six hits in six innings. The left-hander struck out three and didn’t walk anyone in recording a win for his fourth straight start. The Dodgers’ defense backed him with double plays in the first and sixth.

Wood was sitting for long stretches while the Dodgers batted around, although he also was busy with four at-bats, getting a hit.

Caleb Ferguson pitched three innings to earn his first major league save on his 22nd birthday.

”A 16-run save,” joked Wood.

Ferguson said [url=http://www.officialhockeypanthersshop.com/authentic-adidas-jonathan-huberdeau-jersey]Jonathan Huberdeau Jersey[/url] , ”I didn’t realize it until after the game. It’s awesome, especially on my birthday.”

Yasiel Puig had three hits and drove in four runs in the Dodgers’ second straight win.

The Pirates stumbled from the start.

In the first inning alone, David Freese dropped a throw at first base, starter Nick Kingham balked a runner to third and catcher Elias Diaz missed the target on a throw to the mound for an error by Kingham that allowed Bellinger to score the Dodgers’ second run of the inning.

”It just missed my glove and bounced away,” Kingham said. ”No one else was expecting it but the runner on third saw it and he went home.”

Pittsburgh’s third error – by center fielder Austin Meadows – led to the Dodgers scoring their 10th run in the fourth.

The Pirates’ lone run came on Diaz’s homer in the second.

Kingham (3-3) gave up seven runs – five earned – and eight hits in three-plus innings, the rookie’s shortest outing of the season. The right-hander struck out two and walked three making a spot start in place of Chad Kuhl, who is on the disabled list with a forearm strain.

The Dodgers were no kinder to reliever Tanner Anderson, who got tagged for six runs – five earned – and eight hits in two innings of his major league debut.

”First pitch, I was really nervous,” the 2015 Harvard graduate said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: INF-OF Sean Rodriguez (right quad strain) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis. … LHP Enny Romero (left shoulder impingement) was reinstated from the DL and designated for assignment.

Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler will pitch at Class A-Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday. If it goes well, he will toss a bullpen session on Friday. … LHP Tony Cingrani (left shoulder inflammation) will have a rehab assignment before he returns.

PUIG’S DEFENSE

With a 17-1 lead, Puig wasn’t loafing on defense. Jordy Mercer lined a double into the right-field corner in the seventh and Corey Dickerson took off from second while Puig chased the ball into the corner. If Dickerson was thinking about trying to score, Puig wouldn’t have it. The Cuban threw a flat-footed strike from foul territory that held up Dickerson.

WORST LOSS

It was the Pirates’ worst loss since falling 20-0 to the Brewers on April 22, 2010, at home. The Bucs allowed season highs in runs and hits [url=http://www.officialhockeypanthersshop.com/authentic-adidas-nick-bjugstad-jersey]Authentic Nick Bjugstad Jersey[/url] , while the Dodgers’ four homers tied a season high.

UP NEXT

Pirates RHP Ivan Nova (4-5, 4.02 ERA) starts on Tuesday. He is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in two career starts against the Dodgers. LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-4, 2.84) makes his third start for Los Angeles since coming off the DL. He is 2-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 career starts against the Pirates, with 69 strikeouts and 12 walks while holding their batters to a .221 average.

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The Washington Nationals are far from finished. Not after briefly slipping below .500 this week. And, certainly not after spotting the Miami Marlins the first nine runs on Thursday night.

Trea Turner hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help Washington rally past Miami 14-12 in a wild slugfest to end a five-game losing streak.

”Not to get ahead of ourselves, put together wins, try to win a series,” first baseman Matt Adams said. ”I think that’s what we’re going to focus on from here on out, win two out of three, win three out of four. If that’s the case, then the wins will start stacking on top of each other and we’ll just get rolling the way we’re capable of.”

The Nationals, who dropped 17 of their previous 22, have won 12 consecutive games against Miami dating to last season – their longest winning streak against any team since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005.

It was also the largest comeback victory since the team left Montreal. The Nationals rallied from eight runs down to defeat Atlanta 13-12 on April 28 [url=http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-j.t.-compher-jersey]http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-j.t.-compher-jersey[/url] , 2015.

The victory came a day after the Nationals called a players-only meeting Wednesday after Washington was swept by Boston and slipped under .500 for the first time since May 2.

But things didn’t start smoothly.

Miami scored an unearned run in the first, and capped a six-run second on Martin Prado’s three-run homer off the left-field foul pole. The Marlins made it 9-0 on Justin Bour’s two-run homer in the fourth off Jeremy Hellickson.

Despite the huge deficit, Washington was far from out of it.

Turner led off the fourth with a solo shot off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, who surrendered four more runs in the fifth – including two on Juan Soto’s double. Adam Conley (2-1) then allowed four of the first five hitters he faced to reach in the sixth before Turner smacked a two-out fastball with the bases loaded into Miami’s bullpen to give the Nationals a stunning 10-9 lead. It was Turner’s third career multi-homer game.

”Command was an issue today, so I wasn’t able to get the ball where I wanted,” Conley said. ”My hat’s off to him. I thought the ball was coming out pretty good today, so for him to get ahold of it, that’s the way the game goes. If the game were easy, everybody would play it.”

Turner added a two-run single in Washington’s four-run seventh. His eight RBIs tied for the most ever by a leadoff hitter, according to STATS LLC.

”When we were down 7-0, I feel like we still for sure had a shot – 9-0, it hurts a little bit more, but we did it,” Turner said. ”I think once we got the first run on the board, it kind of just got the momentum back on our side and we continued to push. I think that’s what we’re capable of.”

Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Sean Doolittle earned his 22nd save in 23 opportunities.

Adams had four hits for Washington in his first game since a stint on the disabled list for a broken left index finger.

”Good win [url=http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-matt-nieto-jersey]Youth Matt Nieto Jersey[/url] , but we still got stuff to do,” manager Dave Martinez said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: Prado was activated from the disabled list after missing 37 games with a left hamstring strain. … Miami recalled RHP Ben Meyer from Triple-A New Orleans, placed RHP Tayron Guerrero (left lumbar strain) on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Wednesday and designated OF JB Shuck for assignment. … SS JT Riddle (hip) was scratched from the lineup. … RHP Sandy Alcantara (right axillary infection) is expected to be re-evaluated and begin a throwing progression Monday. … OF Lewis Brinson (right hip) will be re-evaluated Monday.

Nationals: Martinez said the team is optimistic RHP Stephen Strasburg (shoulder inflammation) will be ready to return right after the All-Star break. … 1B Ryan Zimmerman (right oblique strain) will start running the bases Friday or Saturday and could begin a rehabilitation assignment as early as Sunday. … Washington recalled RHP Jefry Rodriguez from Triple-A Syracuse and placed RHP Erick Fedde on the 10-day disabled list. Fedde, who is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA, left his start Wednesday in the second inning with right shoulder inflammation.

WALK IN THE PARK

Five Nationals who walked eventually scored. Another Washington runner scored after reaching base on a forceout of a player who walked.

”We walked eight guys,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. ”You can’t walk eight guys with that club over there. We let them back in the game.”

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Dan Straily (3-4, 4.70 ERA) has held NL East batters to a .202 average in five starts this season, though none of those outings have come against Washington.

Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 3.77) is winless in his last six starts, but is 10-3 with a 1.85 ERA lifetime against Miami.

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