Enrique Hernandez has been around the Los Angeles Dodgers long enough to know that an extended hot streak Aleksander Barkov Jersey , even from a utility player, can lead to regular playing time.

Hernandez hit another homer, Kenta Maeda pitched seven strong innings and the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Monday night.

Chicago lost its fifth straight, to tie a season high, after getting swept over four games at Cincinnati. The Cubs have scored a combined 13 runs over their past five games.

Hernandez has six home runs, nine RBIs and a .773 slugging percentage over his last 13 games. Hernandez also went deep twice Sunday. He has a career-high 13 home runs, surpassing his 12 from 2017.

A nagging hamstring injury to Chris Taylor – he came off the bench for a pinch-homer Monday – has given Hernandez more chances to deliver of late.

”I would say that getting a little more playing time over these last two, three weeks has definitely helped me to stay sharp,” said Hernandez, who hit three home runs against the Cubs in Game 5 of last year’s NL Championship Series-clinching victory.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave extended runs to offensive performers like Taylor and Austin Barnes in the second half of last season. Max Muncy has earned at-bats this year with 15 home runs and 32 RBIs.

Hernandez is making a case for himself.

”(Hernandez), on this run for us, has been as valuable, if not more valuable than anybody on our club,” Roberts said.

Maeda (5-4) struck out nine and allowed three singles over seven innings. The Dodgers returned to Los Angeles to open a 10-game homestand after sweeping the New York Mets over the weekend in a three-game series.

As a team, the Dodgers have hit 48 home runs and gone 16-5 in June.

Kenley Jansen gave up deep a sacrifice fly to Javier Baez in the ninth inning before closing out the Cubs for his 20th save.

”We just have to work better at-bats,” manager Joe Maddon said. ”We are chasing way too much. We have to force the pitcher into the strike zone. Once we do that we will be fine.”

Cubs starter Duane Underwood (0-1) made his major league debut, recovering from a 41-pitch first inning to give up just two hits and a run over four innings Evgenii Dadonov Jersey Kids , with three walks and three strikeouts.

DREAM COME TRUE

Underwood didn’t sweat a 14-pitch duel with Matt Kemp in the first inning – he embraced it. Kemp walked to load the bases, but Underwood escaped the jam by retiring Yasmani Grandal on a fly ball to the warning track.

”That was beautiful,” Underwood said. ”For me it was poetry in motion. I loved it going back and forth with the guy. … That was great, especially idolizing the guy growing up. To go one-V-one with the guy was great. Bases loaded, I loved it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RHP Yu Darvish felt soreness in his troubled triceps tendon after a minor league rehabilitation start Monday. Darvish hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 20 because of right triceps tendinitis. The Japanese ace threw five sharp innings for Class A South Bend. Darvish was set to rejoin the team in Los Angeles on Tuesday to discuss his next steps. … 3B Kris Bryant (sore shoulder), who was out of the starting lineup, is not expected to go on the DL, but is not expected to play Tuesday. … RHP Brandon Morrow (lower back tightness) threw a bullpen and is expected to be activated Wednesday without needing a minor league rehab outing.

Dodgers: Taylor (sore left hamstring) was out of the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game. … RHP Walker Buehler (right rib microfracture) will throw another bullpen this week that will increase the intensity from his 17-pitch bullpen Sunday, but his return remains undecided. … RHP Pedro Baez (right biceps tendonitis) and LHP Tony Cingrani (left shoulder strain) will throw bullpen sessions this week. … LHP Julio Urias (left shoulder surgery) will throw two bullpens this week, as his fastball is nearing 90 mph, but his return remains undecided.

UP NEXT

LHP Jon Lester (9-2, 2.10 ERA) will try to win his sixth consecutive start and faces the Dodgers for his second consecutive outing. RHP Ross Stripling (6-2, 1.99), who saw his six-start win streak come to an end last week at Chicago, will get another chance to beat the Cubs for the first time in his career.

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Rob Gronkowski gets to play in this year’s Super Bowl after missing last year’s game with a bad back. Zach Ertz gets the chance to match his wife, Julie , a soccer star who’s already won a world championship.

Super Bowl 52 could come down to which of these terrific tight ends shines brighter.

The two had similar statistics and impact on their team’s fortunes this season.

Gronkowski led the New England Patriots with 69 catches for 1 Lions Cheap Jerseys ,084 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ertz led the Philadelphia Eagles with 74 catches for 824 yards and eight TDs – double his previous career best.

Ertz also has 11 grabs for 125 yards in the playoffs and Gronkowski has seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs despite missing most of the AFC championship against Jacksonville after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Barry Church before halftime.

That led to concerns Gronkowski might miss his second straight Super Bowl. He was sidelined for last year’s 34-28 overtime win against Atlanta after undergoing back surgery.

Gronk, however, returned to practice Thursday and said he is ”ready to roll” after clearing the concussion protocol.

He said he never doubted he’d get to play Sunday.

”There was no reason to get frustrated,” Gronkowski said. ”We had that extra week, which was awesome.”

The return of the All-Pro tight end gives Tom Brady another key option against a punishing Eagles defense that ranked fourth in the league.

”He’s a dynamic player. He means a ton to our offense. He really has since he got to our team. It’s always great when he’s out there,” Brady said.

”I’ve played with him a long time, I’ve thrown him a lot of footballs. He knows exactly what to do, he knows where to expect the ball, when to expect it. He’s just a tremendous player for our team.”

Ertz is just as important to Nick Foles and the Eagles’ offense.

The fifth-year pro made his first Pro Bowl this season, leading all NFC tight ends in receptions. He added eight catches for 93 yards in the NFC championship game against Minnesota.

Despite his breakout season and postseason, Ertz knows he won’t be the best tight end on the field Sunday. Gronkowski led all NFL tight ends in receiving yards for the fourth time.

Gronk is the gold standard.

”He’s a beast after the catch, I think that kind of separates him from all the other tight ends,” Ertz said. ”And he’s also able to be open even when he’s not open because he’s got such a big frame and extremely good ball skills. And obviously Tom Brady is a phenomenal quarterback, too, but even without Tom, I think he would still be doing the same type of things regardless of where he was.”

Ertz knows the numbers off the top of his head, too.

”He has all the (single season) tight end records in the league Packers Cheap Jerseys ,” Ertz said. He’s got the yards – 1,327 – and he’s got the touchdowns – 17 – he’s just a phenomenal player.”

With a pair of Super Bowl rings.

That’s what Ertz really covets, a world championship like the one his wife won in 2015 as a midfielder for the World Cup-winning U.S. national soccer team.

”Julie won a World Cup two years ago,” Ertz said, ”so I need to hold up my end of the bargain.”

The ”It” couple in the NFL was married last March after a romance that started when Julie, then Julie Johnston, was an emerging soccer star at Santa Clara and Zach was playing at Stanford.

The two were apart when the Eagles clinched their spot in the Super Bowl with a 38-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Julie was in San Diego for a national team match against Denmark. She was among the players who scored in the 5-1 victory.

Afterward, when she was told Zach was going to the Super Bowl, she burst into tears .

”Zach knew I was there obviously in spirit and I was praying for him and I was excited for him and cheering him from miles away,” she said.

”It’s a part of our job and we sacrifice a lot, and time’s the biggest thing. But to find out that they are going to the Super Bowl was amazing, exciting, emotional. It’s really cool to see your loved one’s hard work pay off.”

Ertz said it was hard for him watching other players’ celebrate with their wives ”but seeing that video kind of showed me that she was struggling not being there, too.

”And it was extremely difficult for us not being together like it is anytime we’re not together. But she’s here now, I’m lucky she’s here. I’m blessed that she’s here and I’m excited hopefully to be able to experience that again.”

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