The Los Angeles Dodgers dug themselves into an early hole but clawed their way back to earn a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The comeback started on Will Smith’s two-run homer in the seventh inning and continued when Mookie Betts hit an RBI double in the eighth. Trea Turner followed up by driving in a pair of runs on his base hit.
Justin Turner then led off the top of the ninth with a double and was replaced by Austin Barnes as a pinch-runner. He should have scored on Cody Bellinger’s single to right field but slipped rounding third base and had to retreat.
Fortunately for Barnes and the Dodgers, he just beat the throw to third base and the sequence allowed Bellinger to get into scoring position.
Bellinger believes Barnes’ stumble unintentionally helped the team complete their comeback, via SportsNet LA:
“Turned out it won us the game, in a way, because I got to second base. Or else I probably would’ve stayed at first base, so great heads-up play. Great heads-up play.”
With two runners in scoring position and no outs, Max Muncy went on to tie the game with a sacrifice fly. Hanser Alberto, who struck out as a pinch-hitter for Gavin Lux in the eighth inning, then delivered a go-ahead RBI single.
That completed the Dodgers’ 26th comeback win of the season, which is the most in the National League. They also increased their lead in the NL West to 8.5 games and still sit three games ahead of the New York Mets for the best record in the NL.
Roberts considers comeback ‘biggest win of the year’ for Dodgers
Wednesday marked the third consecutive game the Dodgers trailed by at least five runs. After falling short in the series opener, the club picked up Tony Gonsolin by scoring seven unanswered runs in the final three innings.
Manager Dave Roberts called it the Dodgers’ biggest win of the season and credited the entire team for stepping up to make it happen.
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