When the Dodgers began play against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium, they were tied for first place atop the National League West division with the Arizona Diamondbacks and one game ahead of the Colorado Rockies. When the game ended three hours and 42 minutes later, they stood alone in first place in the division a full game ahead of the Dbacks and two up on the Rockies. Along the way, they set a couple of franchise records with their 21-5 shellacking of the Brewers.

That’s not a typo. The 21 runs scored by the Dodgers on Thursday are the most ever at Dodger Stadium, which opened its doors in 1962, and the second most in LA Dodgers history since July 21, 2001, when they scored 22 in a game at Coors Field against the Rockies.

The Dodgers also scored a season-high nine runs in the seventh inning and ended up slugging seven home runs in a game for the second time this season, which they also did against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 24 – although all seven of them were solo shots.

Without question, the biggest of the Dodgers seven home runs on Thursday night in front of an ecstatic Dodger Stadium crown of 45,087 was the third inning grand slam hit by the struggling Dodgers first baseman / center fielder Cody Bellinger, that turned a (then) 2-1 Dodgers lead into a 6-1 ballgame. It was Bellinger’s second grand slam of the season, with his first coming against the Mets at Citi Field during that same June weekend, and the third of his young career.

Bellinger’s grand slam on Thursday night was his second of the season and third of his brief career.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

It also hit the right field foul pole which, of course, is actually a fair pole.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Belly’s slam opened the floodgates for the Dodgers, who also saw two home runs each by Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig, and one each by Justin Turner in his first game back from the disabled list, and Dodgers newcomer Brian Dozier, his second home run with his new team in as many days.

Dozier’s fifth inning three-run blast on Thursday night was his second home run in as many days.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“There’s no letdowns one through nine, which makes an offensive team really good,” Dozier told reporters after the game. “Lots of guys who can do a lot of different things. It’s not just ‘sit back and hit with power’ and that kind of thing. It’s running the bases right and speed mixed with power.”

Of course scoring 21 runs and hitting a boatload of home runs doesn’t mean squat if your pitchers can’t keep the other team at bay. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they had their ace Clayton Kershaw on the mound on Thursday night. And even though the 30-year-old Dallas, Texas native and Dodgers 2006 first-round draft pick wasn’t at his best, he was still solid in his 6.0 innings of work. The future Hall of Famer allowed only two runs on five hits (including a solo home run by Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich, the National League’s best hitter) while walking two and striking out seven. With the lopsided win on Thursday, Kershaw is now 5-5 on the season, with an outstanding 2.55 ERA.

Although perhaps not as dominating as he once was, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is still among the very best in the game. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

With Thursday night’s win, the Dodgers managed to split the four-game series with the NL Central second place Brewers. But things won’t get any easier for the Dodgers, as they open a weekend series against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros at the Ravine on Friday night.

“We’ll be ready,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about facing their 2017 World Series opponents. “We’re excited to play those guys. It’s good that there’s some offensive energy going into the series.”

Heaven knows, they’re going to need it.

Play Ball!