While the Los Angeles Dodgers had already won two consecutive games against the Colorado Rockies and ensured they would remain in first place in the National League West no matter the result Wednesday night, the series finale was still very much a swing game.
With a win, the Dodgers would extend their lead in the NL West standings to 2.5 games and bring their magic number to clinch the division to eight. A loss would put the Rockies just a half-game out of first place.
They found early success against Walker Buehler, loading the bases with nobody out and taking a 2-0 lead before he could get through the first inning. It was an opening frame that saw the rookie right-hander labor to the tune of 36 pitches.
But Buehler was nails from that point on, blanking the Rockies and surrendering just one more hit. He finished the night at six innings, with only the two unearned runs allowed, and a career-high 12 strikeouts.
Offensively, Matt Kemp cut the Dodgers’ deficit in half with a solo home run in the second inning to break Tyler Anderson’s streak of consecutive batters retired at five. Anderson later set seven in a row down, which was snapped by Kiké Hernandez on a leadoff single in the fifth.
He scored from first base two batters later on Brian Dozier’s double, tying the game. The extra-base hit was only Dozier’s third of the month, and the RBI his first since Sept. 4.
With the game still tied in the bottom of the seventh, Scott Oberg walked Max Muncy and gave up a double to Yasmani Grandal. Yasiel Puig pinch-hit for Dozier and delivered a go-ahead three-run home run that proved to be the difference for the Dodgers. Puig’s home run was the sixth in his last 18 at-bats.
