LOS ANGELES — Andrew Toles was batting .196 when he arrived at AT&T Park for a game against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night. He was the Dodgers’ center fielder and leadoff hitter less by choice than by default, with Joc Pederson and Logan Forsythe biding their time on the disabled list.
Since that day, Toles has been among the team’s best hitters. His three-run home run gave the Dodgers the insurance runs they needed Sunday to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3, before an announced crowd of 48,961 at Dodger Stadium.
The 2-for-4 performance raised Toles’ batting average for the season to .239, and might have bought him at least one more game as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter. A right-handed pitcher, Johnny Cueto, starts for the San Francisco Giants here on Monday.
The Dodgers’ win, their fourth in a row, gave them their first series sweep against the Phillies since June 2012. The Phillies hadn’t been swept in Los Angeles since August 2008.
Nine players reached base for the Dodgers, who had 13 hits as a team. Justin Turner went 3 for 4 with a double, raising his batting average to .404. Chris Taylor hit his second home run of the season.
Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-4) earned his first major league victory since August 2014. The left-hander allowed just one run for the second consecutive game. He lasted 5 ⅓ innings, allowed three hits, walked one batter and struck out nine.
The Phillies scored their only run in the first inning. Cesar Hernandez was credited with a leadoff triple when Yasiel Puig ran a long way but dropped a fly ball in right field. Hernandez scored when the next batter, Freddy Galvis, singled.
Toles led off the bottom of the first inning with a ground-rule double, went to third base on a single by Cody Bellinger and scored on a single by Turner.
The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the second inning on Taylor’s home run against Phillies starter Nick Pivetta. The right-hander allowed two runs in five innings in his major league debut.
With Jeanmar Gomez on the mound in the sixth inning, Yasmani Grandal singled and Chase Utley walked ahead of Toles’ home run, his fourth this season. The Dodgers led 5-1 at that point.
Odubel Herrera hit a two-run home run against Dodgers pitcher Grant Dayton in the ninth inning to pull within 5-3. Kenley Jansen was called upon to preserve the win. He struck out Hernandez on three pitches for his seventh save in as many chances this season.
The Dodgers finished April with a 14-12 record.
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