The Philadelphia Phillies took a 4-1 lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers midway through the game and appeared bound for a victory but the bottom of the ninth inning saw a dramatic turn of events. Yasiel Puig’s leadoff home run sparked a rally, and the Dodgers came away with a walk-off victory. Cody Bellinger hit two of the team’s five home runs.
Andrew Toles led off the bottom of the first with a home run to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. Brandon McCarthy, who entered 3-0 and led Dodgers starting pitchers with a 2.25 ERA, wasn’t overly sharp Saturday night.
He did manage to retire the side in order in the first inning and worked around a leadoff double in the second. A Chase Utley error allowed Andrew Knapp to reach to lead off the third, and Cesar Hernandez later singled, but both runners were stranded.
Zach Eflin similarly navigated some traffic in the bottom of the third after hitting Toles with a pitch, and a Corey Seager single. Adrian Gonzalez swung at Eflin’s first offering, grounding out, and the Dodgers’ lead remained 1-0.
Maikel Franco and Michael Saunders singled in the fourth inning before McCarthy could record an out. Brock Stassi then lined a three-run home run just over the fence in left-center field. McCarthy managed to limit the damage despite allowing a base hit to Knapp and walking Hernandez.
McCarthy nearly got out of the fifth unscathed after an Odubel Herrera leadoff double, but Daniel Nava’s two-out RBI single extended the Phillies’ lead. McCarthy’s night ended at five innings pitched, with four runs allowed on eight hits. He finished with one walk and three strikeouts.
Utley led off the bottom of the fifth with a double, which was his first extra-base hit of the season, only to be stranded by Chris Taylor, pinch-hitter Kiké Hernandez and Toles. Ross Stripling provided two scoreless innings in relief.
Bellinger solo home run to the visitor’s bullpen in the bottom of the seventh trimmed the Dodgers’ deficit in half. But the run was offset in the eighth when Knapp hit his first career homer.
Seager walked with two outs in the seventh, finishing 1-for-3 with one strikeout on Corey Seager bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium. Gonzalez dropped a single into right field, but Joaquin Benoit struck out Yasmani Grandal to end the threat.
Following Puig’s and Bellinger’s home run was pinch-hitter Justin Turner, who’s solo blast extended his hitting streak to 15 games. The last time the Dodgers had hit back-to-back-to-back home runs was Aug. 18, 2012.
With two outs and runners on first and second base, Gonzalez delivered the walk-off single in the Dodgers’ 6-5 victory. Grant Dayton, in his first game back from the disabled list, turned in a 1-2-3 ninth inning, which ultimately loomed large.
