While the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t have anything to play for after being eliminated from postseason contention, the Los Angeles Dodgers have everything to play for as the two teams began a three-game series at Chase Field on Monday night.
With the Colorado Rockies earning a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers needed a win to stay 1.5 games ahead of them with less than a week left in the season. They were able to do exactly that, battling back to earn a 7-4 victory to lower their magic number to five.
The Dodgers got on the board first in the top of the first inning against Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray when Chris Taylor singled to begin the game and later scored on a single by David Freese.
Arizona answered in the bottom of the first though as Ketel Marte hit an RBI-triple to right that barely got over the outstretched glove of Matt Kemp to tie the score at one.
It continued to be the Freese and Marte show from there as they were the only ones to drive in runs off either starter. Marte hit a long solo home run off Kershaw in the third to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead. Freese then returned the favor with a solo home run of his own off Ray in the fifth to once again tie it.
Marte added a third RBI-hit in the fifth off Kershaw, this time a bloop single up the middle to put Arizona back out in front.
The Dodgers again had a response in the top of the seventh when Yasmani Grandal walked and Yasiel Puig singled to begin the inning. Max Muncy then tied the game with a pinch-hit single to left, and Manny Machado drove in a run with a groundout to give Los Angeles a 4-3 lead.
Caleb Ferguson was the first reliever tasked with holding onto the lead, and he passed with flying colors as he tossed a 1-2-3 seventh. Scott Alexander and Kenta Maeda then combined to pitch a scoreless eighth to keep the lead intact for closer Kenley Jansen.
The Dodgers added some big insurance runs in the top of the ninth when Max Muncy walked to begin the inning and later scored on a wild pitch. Chase Utley also scored on a wild pitch after walking, and Machado drove in a run with a double to extend the lead to 7-3.
Jansen still came in to close it out despite it not being a save situation, and he did exactly that, giving up just a solo homer to A.J. Pollock to finish out the victory.
