Homers from Albert Pujols, Will Smith lift Dodgers over Diamondbacks

Albert Pujols has gone from over-the-hill to over-the-moon, from 41-year-old castaway to rejuvenated slugger, a two-week transformation the first baseman achieved with a 35-mile drive up the 5 Freeway and a color-scheme change from Angels red to Dodgers blue.

Designated for assignment and released by the Angels, Pujols found a home with the defending World Series-champion Dodgers, and he rewarded that faith with his first homer for his new club, a two-run shot to right field in the second inning of Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Will Smith, who idolized Pujols while growing up in Louisville, Ky., as Pujols was building his Hall-of-Fame resume with the St. Louis Cardinals, then followed suit in the seventh, banging a tie-breaking solo homer to left to lift the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory and a four-game sweep in Chavez Ravine.

Kenley Jansen, the seventh pitcher in a bullpen relay, struck out two of three in the ninth for his 10th save.

The Dodgers (26-18) have won eight of nine entering a three-game series in San Francisco, where the Giants own a major league-best 28-16 record, and Pujols has played a role in the recent run, with three hits and four RBIs in 11 at-bats.

“I think Albert would argue that he’s more energized by being a Dodger and being around his teammates than he’s infusing [energy] into our guys,” manager Dave Roberts said. “For me personally, I think we’re getting a lot of the benefit.

“Seeing the conversations, his joy around the ballpark, his tone, I know he’s kind of revitalized. He’s been with a couple of ballclubs in his career, but this is a resurgence, and I know he wouldn’t rather be any place in the world right now.”

With one out in the second and Smith aboard after a leadoff single, Pujols went the other way with a 91-mph cut-fastball form Arizona starter Merrill Kelly, muscling an opposite-field two-run homer to right for a 2-0 lead.

It was the 668th career homer for Pujols, who ranks fifth behind Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez on baseball’s all-time homer list, and his 3,256th hit, which moved Pujols past Eddie Murray and into 12th place on baseball’s all-time hit list.

David Price opened the game for the Dodgers with two scoreless, three-hit innings, and Jimmy Nelson followed with two dominant innings in which he struck out five of six batters.

Dodgers pitcher David Price warms up before the start against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Alex Vesia struck out two of three in a scoreless fifth before yielding to Joe Kelly, who yielded a one-out double to Ketel Marte and caught too much of the plate with a 1-and-2 knuckle-curve to Eduardo Escobar, who lined a two-run homer — his 11th of the season — to right-center for a 2-2 tie.

The Diamondbacks took advantage of errors by center fielder Chris Taylor and third baseman Justin Turner to put runners on first and third with two outs, but left-hander Victor González replaced Kelly and struck out Domingo Leyba to end the sixth and struck out two of three in a one-two-three seventh.

Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor (3) commits a fielding error on a ball hit by Arizona Diamondbacks’ Josh Reddick (22) while Dodgers’ Mookie Betts (50) looks on in the top of the sixth at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Smith led off the seventh with his fifth homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Blake Treinen threw a scoreless eighth with an assist from Smith, who gunned down pinch-runner Tim Locastro attempting to steal second to end the inning, before yielding to Jansen.

Rehab report

Center fielder Cody Bellinger and utility man Zach McKinstry will begin minor league rehabilitation stints with triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.

Bellinger suffered a hairline fracture of his left fibula on April 5. McKinstry was batting .296 with an .883 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, three homers and 14 RBIs in 17 games when he suffered a right-oblique strain on April 21.

Roberts isn’t sure how long the rehab stints would last.

“They’re both ready to go; I think they’re both bored with the rehab and want to get out and play,” Roberts said.

“We’ll see how it goes, taking at-bats, seeing how they recover being on their feet, and we’ll kind of read and react then.”