The empire struck back on Star Wars Night at Dodger Stadium, as the MLB-leading Los Angeles Dodgers fell erased a three-run deficit en route to a 5-4 walk-off win against Arizona Diamondbacks. The walk-off victory was the Dodgers’ seventh this season and fourth in a row at Dodger Stadium.
Arizona was on their way to a fourth win in the past five meetings against the Dodgers, but closer Greg Holland came unglued after picking up two quick outs in the ninth inning. He proceeded to walk the bases loaded, then put Matt Beaty on board to bring in the tying run.
T.J. McFarland was summoned to face Cody Bellinger, and he promptly went to a full count before walking in the game-winning run. Bellinger nearly let McFarland off the hook by avoiding a pitch that narrowly missed grazing him.
Ross Stripling faced their National League West rival for a second time in as many starts since being tabbed to fill in for the injured Rich Hill. Stripling built on his last time out, nearly completing five innings.
There were more bumps along the way, however, including Eduardo Escobar’s two-out RBI double in the first inning. Then a leadoff walk in the second was followed by Nick Ahmed clubbing a two-run home run.
The homer was Ahmed’s second and sixth hit overall in 11 career at-bats against Stripling. After their offense pulled them even, the Dodgers let Stripling down defensively in the fifth.
Not long after making a diving stop to get a force out at second base and prevent a run from scoring, Max Muncy offset it by throwing wide of first base on a potential inning-ending double play. The run-scoring error wound up proving to be the difference.
While Stripling allowed four runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings, he went 2-for-2 and helped his cause with an RBI single in the second. Up until the ninth inning, the Dodgers’ only other runs came on Kiké Hernandez’s homer in the fourth.
The home run was Hernandez’s third in the past nine games as he looks to emerge from a prolonged slump.
The Dodgers had another look at the game when Chris Taylor lofted a pinch-hit triple to the left-center field gap with one out in the seventh inning. That led to another pitching change for the Diamondbacks, who called on veteran lefty Andrew Chafin.
He struck out pinch-hitter Kyle Garlick and retired Alex Verdugo to strand the tying run at third base. Justin Turner, who is dealing with residual soreness after being hit by a pitch, was said to be available off the bench but Garlick batting suggested otherwise.
