The final game of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-game road trip also marked their last time facing the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. The Dodgers entered 12-6 in head-to-head meetings in 2016, but just 5-4 at Chase Field.
Robbie Ray got off to a hot start, inducing a groundout and collecting back-to-back strikeouts to end a scoreless first inning. Jose De Leon gave up a leadoff double to Jean Segura in the bottom of the first.
Segura advanced to third base on a grounder to the right side. But he was stranded as Paul Goldschmidt struck out and Jake Lamb hit back the box. For Goldschmidt, it was his ninth strikeout of the series.
After Ray set the Dodgers down in order once more, De Leon ran into some trouble. Brandon Drury walked to start the bottom of the second, and Mitch Haniger singled to right.
Yasiel Puig nearly made a spectacular diving catch, but came up empty and it left runners on the corners with nobody out. Socrates Brito grounded to Charlie Culberson’s and his throwing error prevented an out from being recorded and allowed the Diamondbacks to take a 1-0 lead.
Segura tacked on a two-run single but was thrown out attempting to advance to second base, ending the inning. Ray remained perfect through the third, collecting another pair of strikeouts in the process.
De Leon was efficient in the bottom half of the inning, needing just 10 pitches to set the Diamondbacks down in order. Ray struck out the side in the fifth, and De Leon proceeded to unravel in the bottom half of the inning.
Drury’s lead off single was followed by a Haniger towering two-run homer. Tuffy Gosewisch singled with one out, and Segura was intentionally walked to put two on with two outs. That decision backfired as Chris Owings’ drive skipped off Kendrick’s glove and went for an RBI double.
Jesse Chavez replaced De Leon and retired Goldschmidt to end the long inning. Kiké Hernandez broke up Ray’s perfect game with a two-out solo home run in the fifth. Charlie Culberson followed with a base hit, and Austin Barnes kept the inning alive with a walk.
Carlos Ruiz pinch-hit for Chavez but was unable to extend the rally. J.P. Howell struck out Lamb to start the bottom of the fifth, then gave way to Bud Norris. It was Howell’s fifth consecutive appearance in which he only faced one batter.
For Norris, it was his first action since throwing two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 9. He was slated to start Saturday’s game, but the Dodgers instead turned to Brock Stewart.
Norris promptly allowed a solo home run to Drury that extended the Diamondbacks’ lead to 7-1. Kendrick and Justin Turner connected on back-to-back doubles in the sixth, with the latter scoring a run.
Ray retired the next two batters faced, but walked Rob Segedin and allowed an RBI single to Hernandez. Randall Delgado replaced Ray, which prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to pinch-hit Joc Pederson for Culberson.
Pederson walked to the load the bases, and Barnes laid off multiple borderline pitches to also draw a walk and bring a run in. Adrian Gonzalez pinch-hit for Norris, which drew a pitching change from the Diamondbacks.
Southpaw Edwin Escobar failed to get the better of the matchup, giving up a bases-clearing, game-tying double to Gonzalez. Josh Ravin preserved some of the momentum the Dodgers generated by bookending a 1-2-3 sixth inning with strikeouts.
Drury doubled with two outs off Josh Fields, who then walked Haniger. Fields got the benefit of a borderline pitch to catch pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks Jr. looking. Josh Reddick bat for Hernandez and drew a leadoff walk in the eighth.
Pederson was called out on strikes, voiced his disagreement, and was quickly ejected by home plate umpire Ryan Blakney. Two batters after Barnes singled, Kendrick hit a two-run double to give the Dodgers a 9-7 lead.
That was short-lived as Owings hit a two-run homer off Louis Coleman in the bottom of the eighth. Adam Liberatore walked Lamb and was removed as part of a double switch that brought on Ross Stripling and Chase Utley.
Stripling walked Drury to load the bases, then got help from Kendrick on a nice stop to his left to end the inning and keep the game tied. Puig and Reddick reached in the ninth but were both stranded.
Tomas and Segura hit consecutive singles with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, putting the winning run 90 feet away. Stripling worked his way out of the jam by getting Owings swinging to strike out the side.
Kendrick was stranded in the 10th after knocking a two-out single into center field. Stripling worked around a one-out walk in the 11th to complete a career-high 3.1 innings out of the bullpen.
In a twist of fate with the Dodgers playing a no-doubles defense, Goldschmidt’s routine base hit to center field resulted in a hustle double with two outs in the bottom of the 12th. Lamb was intentionally walked to face Drury, who hit a walk-off base hit.
Drury’s game-winning hit against Los Angeles was his second this season. The Dodgers’ 10-9 loss left them five games ahead of the San Francisco Giants, who were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
