After an anemic first couple months of the season http://www.lionscheapstore.com/austin-bryant-jersey-cheap , the Dodgers are powering balls out of the stadium at a near record rate.

Joc Pederson added a two-run shot and Los Angeles defeated the Chicago Cubs 7-5 on Wednesday night.

The Dodgers improved to 17-6 in June and have slugged a major league-leading 51 homers this month. That’s the second-most during any month in franchise history. With three days remaining, they have a chance to overtake last year’s team that set the record with 53 while the single-season record of 58 in a month is within reach, too.

”It just seems like they’re taking really good swings,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ”When there’s a mistake in the strike zone, we hit it hard.”

The Dodgers hit 25 home runs in late March and April and 31 in May. The current surge is being generated by a variety of players.

”It’s scary facing us,” Bellinger said. ”We’re clicking right now.”

After not homering in a 9-4 loss to the Cubs on Tuesday that snapped their four-game winning streak, the Dodgers got going early despite not having Matt Kemp in the lineup. The outfielder, who is hitting .311, served a one-game suspension after losing his appeal with Major League Baseball for a scuffle with Texas catcher Robinson Chirinos on June 13.

Muncy homered over the center-field wall in the first for his ninth long ball this month and 16th of the season. The ball hit something beyond the wall and bounced back onto the field, grazing center fielder Albert Almora Jr. in the head.

Later in the inning, Yasmani Grandal’s two-run double with two outs gave the Dodgers the lead for good, 3-2.

Pederson followed in the second with his 10th homer of the month to make it 5-2. Enrique Hernandez extended the lead with an RBI single.

Alex Wood (4-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings to earn his third straight win. The left-hander struck out six and walked none, retiring the final seven batters he faced.

Kenley Jansen earned a four-out save, his 21st of the season.

Chicago made it close after Wood exited. He was replaced in the eighth by Scott Alexander, who walked Jason Heyward and gave up a single to Javier Baez before Willson Contreras hit a two-run double to pull the Cubs to 6-5.

Ben Zobrist grounded back to Alexander http://www.packerscheapstore.com/rashan-gary-jersey-cheap , putting the potential tying run on third, but Jansen came in and struck out Addison Russell to end the inning.

”The at-bats had great approaches,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”I thought we hit the ball all over the place. Javy hit it to right and right center. Same with Contreras. Good approaches. We played our butts off, we just didn’t get it.”

Bellinger homered leading off the eighth against Randy Rosario, tying Muncy for the team lead with 16 homers and making it 7-5.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (5- gave up six runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings, failing to go at least five innings for the first time in 16 starts this season. The team has lost five of his last six starts.

”I’m just searching right now, it’s just bad,” Hendricks said. ”I don’t know mechanics and I’m trying to focus mentally and go pitch-to-pitch. Something is just off. I’ve had troubles in my career, but this is up there as one of the toughest.”

Chicago took the lead in the first on a two-run homer by Contreras.

In the fifth, Heyward reached on an infield single that Wood raced to pick up along the first base line. He flipped to Bellinger, and first base umpire Alan Porter signaled that Heyward was out. But the ball came loose and second baseman Logan Forsythe, backing up the play, fired to the plate. Ian Happ, who singled leading off, was called safe to leave the Cubs trailing 6-3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: Chicago closer Brandon Morrow (lower back tightness) was activated off the DL. He had been sidelined since June 20 after experiencing back spasms while taking his pants off. … RHP Tyler Chatwood will be available soon. Chatwood has been on paternity leave after his wife gave birth last Sunday.

Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (right rib microfracture) will throw three innings in a rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. If it goes well, he will have a bullpen session this weekend and could possibly return to the rotation next week. … INF-OF Chris Taylor (left hamstring) wasn’t in the lineup for the sixth straight day but pinch hit in the seventh and will start on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (6-6 Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , 4.26 ERA) starts the series finale against LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-4, 2.94). Quintana is better on the road (3.22 ERA) than at home (6.00). Making his second start since coming off the disabled list, Kershaw is 5-3 in nine career starts against Chicago with a 2.64 ERA.

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The Houston Astros keep finding ways to win, while the Kansas City Royals keep inventing ways to lose.

Carlos Correa and the Astros won their 11th straight game, finishing off a dominant 10-0 road trip by rallying past the Royals 7-4 Sunday.

The World Series champion Astros swept their swing through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, outscoring opponents 74-35.

Last season, Houston had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City. This time, the Astros trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before Correa led off with a tying homer. Evan Gattis, who had three hits, then put them ahead during a three-run burst.

”We just have a great team. It’s hard to find any holes on this team. I don’t think there are any,” Correa said.

Correa has three home runs and eight RBIs in six games after missing four games with discomfort in his right side. He had a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Gattis hit .366 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the Astros’ trip. He singled home Yuli Gurriel in the eighth, and Marvin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the inning.

”I take confidence in our lineup versus anybody,” Gattis said.

The Royals have lost six straight and 12 of 13. They have dropped 26 of 36 home games.

Brandon Maurer (0-3) took the loss, facing two batters and having both score. Tony Sipp (2-0) picked up the victory. Hector Rondon closed for his fourth save.

Astros right-hander Lance McCullers struck out nine over six innings, allowing two unearned runs.

”I didn’t want to blow it http://www.packerscheapstore.com/elgton-jenkins-jersey-cheap ,” McCullers said of the winning streak.

Royals right-hander Brad Keller, a Rule 5 draft pick making his fourth start, gave up three runs in six innings.

”I felt like I did pretty well,” Keller said. ”That’s a good-hitting team and they got pop, so to keep them on the ground I’m happy with that.”

Third baseman Alex Bregman’s errant throw home with the bases loaded led to the Royals scoring two unearned runs in the first to tie it at 2. Hunter Dozier hit a two-run homer in the third to give the Royals a 4-2 lead.

Brian McCann’s two-out single in the fourth scored Gattis to reduce the Royals’ lead to one.

ROYALS OUSTER

Royals DH Mike Moustakas and LHP Danny Duffy were ejected by plate umpire John Tumpane. Moustakas was ejected for words said from the dugout after he was out at home while trying to score from second on a single. A video replay upheld the call on the field. Duffy was thumbed in the sixth for his dugout verbiage. It was the Royals’ first ejections this season.

”I saw a gesture over to me. I think that was my warning,” Moustakas said. ”I said something after that and that’s when he tossed me. I thought I was safe and I still think I’m safe. I think if he called me safe originally, I don’t think they can overcome that.”

Tumpane has a history with the Royals – he tossed RHP Peter Moylan last July and Moustakas and manager Ned Yost in August in Baltimore.

ATTENDANCE DROP-OFF

After 36 home games, the Royals attendance is down 212,572 from last year. They drew 958,297 for 36 home games in 2017. This year that total is 737,725.

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals recalled INF Adalberto Mondesi, who is the only player to make his big league debut in the World Series, was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. The Royals also summoned OF Rosell Herrera and RHP Wily Peralta from the Storm Chasers. They optioned RHP Scott Barlow and INF Ramon Torres to Omaha and transferred LHP Eric Skoglund to the 60-day disabled list.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 2B Whit Merrifield left in the second inning after fouling a pitch off his left knee. He has a contusion and is listed as day-to-day. Mondesi replaced him.

UP NEXT

Astros: RHP Gerrit Cole will start on Monday as they return home to face Tampa Bay. Cole is 8-1 with a 2.40 ERA.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who has won one of his last 27 home starts, will start the opener of a three-game series against the Rangers on Monday. Bartolo Colon will be the Texas probable.