The Los Angeles Dodgers did it again. Not only did they earn a 29th comeback win this season, they did so by overcoming sloppy defense and a 5-0 deficit to complete a sweep, their 13th this year, of the Minnesota Twins.
The Dodgers weren’t on the board until the bottom of the fourth inning when Joc Pederson hit a solo home run. Yasiel Puig homered in the fifth, matching a career high of 19, and pulling the Dodgers to within three runs of the Twins.
Chase Utley added to the comeback bid in the bottom of the seventh, driving a two-out, pinch-hit double off the wall in center field to score a pair of runs. “That big hit from Chase really got us right back in there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“The at-bats in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings were consistent with what we’ve done the last two months.”
Kiké Hernandez followed a Justin Turner walk in the eighth inning with a base hit to right field. The Dodgers put a hit-and-run on, which allowed Turner to easily take third base. Logan Forsythe’s fly ball to shallow center field amounted to a sacrifice fly when Zach Granite inexplicably threw to first base.
It was in effort to backpick Hernandez for an inning-ending double play, but no one was covering the bag. The ball rolled toward the dugout and Turner went head-first into home plate to score the tying run.
Kenley Jansen worked around a leadoff double in the ninth inning, which saw the power closer pick up consecutive strikeouts to strand the go-ahead run at third base. With two on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Turner pulled an RBI single into left field for a walk-off hit.
“We just don’t go away,” Turner told Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA. “It doesn’t matter how big of a hole we get in, we find ways to get on base and set the table. It’s really been a different hero every night. It’s definitely been fun to be apart of.”
Perhaps more impressively than the game-winning hit was that Turner battled back from an 0-2 count against All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler to work it full. “Any time the game is on the line, I’ll take my chances with J.T,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers improved to 71-31 on the season, making it the earliest date in franchise history they’ve reached 40 games over .500.
