LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the first inning of the game off Kyle Hendricks #28 of the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood throws to a Chicago Cubs batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
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Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras watches his two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras celebrates his two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood wipes his face after giving up a two-run home run to Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles as he rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the second inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson, right, celebrates his two-run home run, next to Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, left, and Dodgers’ Alex Wood during the second inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two run home run in the second inning of the game off Kyle Hendricks #28 of the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs beats the tag by Yasmani Grandal #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers as he scores on a infield hit by Jason Heyward #22 of the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ, left, scores past Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal on a single by Jason Heyward during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Yasmani Grandal #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two RBI double in the first inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal watches his two-run double against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner advances to third on a single by Cody Bellinger during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner, right, is tagged out at home by Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras while trying to score on a ball hit by Enrique Hernandez during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is tagged out at home by Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is tagged out at home by Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs exchange words after Turner was tagged out at home in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs exchange words after Turner was tagged out at home in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner, left, has words with Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras after being tagged out at home during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy rounds the bases after a home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers crosses the plate after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of the game off Kyle Hendricks #28 of the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson tosses his helmut after lining out to right during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson tosses his helmet after lining out to left during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Alex Wood #57 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brian Duensing celebrates after the last out in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood fields a ball hit by Chicago Cubs’ Jason Heyward during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. Heyward was safe at first. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Chicago Cubs’ Jason Heyward celebrates after scoring on a double by Willson Contreras during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run home run in the second inning of the game off Kyle Hendricks #28 of the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Kyle Hendricks #28 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger celebrates at the entrance to the dugout after his home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen celebrates after the team’s 7-5 win against the Chicago Cubs during a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen earns a four-out save during Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have had the winning power ball numbers this month.
They hit three more home runs Wednesday night, two while they were scoring six times in the first two innings. They almost needed more, hanging on for a 7-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Joc Pederson and Max Muncy hit the first two home runs Wednesday off Kyle Hendricks, who didn’t make it through three innings (his shortest start since his rookie season in 2014). That was appropriate – Pederson (10) and Muncy (9) have combined to hit 19 of the Dodgers’ MLB-leading 51 home runs in the month of June.
The 51 home runs are two short – with three games to play in the month – of the franchise record for a calendar month (set last June) and seven short of matching the major-league record for any month (shared by the Baltimore Orioles in May 1987 and the Seattle Mariners in May 1999).
“That’s a lot of homers,” Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood said accurately when the total was pointed out to him. “I don’t know what the record for a month is … we just might get there.”
The Dodgers have gone without a home run in just four of their 23 games this month – and lost all four games. They are 17-2 this month when they hit at least one home run and have hit more than one home run in a game 16 times in June.
“We hit a lot of home runs,” Cody Bellinger echoed. “We have a deep, deep lineup. We have guys on the bench who can go deep too. It’s scary facing us right now.”
It’s not safe turning your back on their home runs either. They’ve started to become impertinent.
Muncy’s solo home run in the first inning – implausibly his 16th of the season – cleared the fence in straight-away center field then bounced back over the fence and bopped Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. on the top of his head as he walked away.
The Dodgers added two more runs that inning on a double by Yasmani Grandal.
They roughed up Hendricks for another three runs in the second inning. Pederson hit a two-run home run and Kiké Hernandez drove in another run by an unconventional route – an RBI single.
Twenty-three of the Dodgers’ past 33 runs and 74 of their 133 runs this month have scored on home runs.
“You know what? I sorta do,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked if he’s come to expect the nightly power display. “It’s been a large enough sample, I guess, the way the offense has been performing. We hit the ball out of the ballpark.”
But a manager who made it to the big leagues by virtue of his legs, hitting just 23 homers in 10 seasons while stealing 243 bases, must have some difficulty watching everyone muscle up now.
“You know – it got me a little bit a few years ago,” Roberts admitted. “But I understand our roster a lot more. They’re a lot better players and can do a lot more with the bat.
“It’s something we talk about a lot – this is our roster, these are our guys and we have to give them the best chance to do what they do well. I do encourage them when they give you chances to walk we have to take that. We can always get better at that. But when there’s a mistake made in the strike zone we do a good job of hitting it hard.”
The six-run burst in the first two innings allowed Dodgers starter Alex Wood to recover from his own brush with the longball – a two-run homer by Willson Contreras in the first inning. Wood allowed just one more run while going as deep into a game as he’s gone since his first start of the season back on March 30. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out six in seven innings against the Cubs.
Wood called a three-start stretch in late May and early June the worst of his career, declining to cite a strained muscle in his left leg as a contributing factor. In three starts since then, Wood has a 2.89 ERA and 1.07 WHIP and the Dodgers have won all three games.
“That was a tough three-start stretch, probably the toughest of my career,” Wood said. “To kind of give an answer to those three starts and get back on track is a good feeling for me.”
Contreras bit Dodgers reliever Scott Alexander as well, driving in two more runs with an eighth-inning double to make it a one-run game, 6-5.
Roberts called on Kenley Jansen to get the final four outs, a task made easier when Cody Bellinger hit the Dodgers’ third home run of the night, a solo shot leading off the bottom of the eighth.
