LOS ANGELES—Teoscar Hernández singled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning for his third RBI of the game, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6–5 on Tuesday night.
The Dodgers scored two runs after having two outs and the bases empty to salvage a game in which they squandered leads of 2–0 and 4–3.
“We’re never going to be out of it,” Hernández said. “We’re always going to be fighting until the last out.”
Paul Sewald (0–1) struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani to start the bottom of the ninth before Will Smith doubled to center field on a ball that caromed off the wall. Smith scored the tying run on Freddie Freeman’s two-strike double to right, handing Sewald his first blown save in 12 chances this season.
“I trusted my players,” Arizona Manager Torey Lovullo said. “We just didn’t execute.”
Former Dodger Joc Pederson’s solo home run on a two-strike pitch from Evan Phillips (1–0) in the top of the ninth put Arizona ahead, 5–4.
The Diamondbacks tied the game in the eighth. Gabriel Moreno walked, and pinch-hitter Jake McCarthy followed with a bunt single to reliever Blake Treinen, who was slow to field the ball. Moreno scored the go-ahead run on Treinen’s wild throw to second base.
In the seventh, Ohtani blasted a two-run drive that lifted the Dodgers to a 4–3 lead. His 27th homer of the season traveled 433 feet to right-center field on Japanese Heritage Night. Lux, who drew a leadoff walk from Justin Martinez, also scored.
“All night long we fought, we took good at-bats, and then just not relenting,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “It doesn’t help my quality of life waiting for the seventh inning to come alive with the bats. Better late than never.”
A sellout crowd of 52,931 responded with cheers and chants of “MVP!” for the two-time American League most valuable player.
Ohtani fouled a pitch off his right foot leading off the third, flipping his bat as he grimaced in pain. Two trainers and Roberts came out to check on him. Ohtani did a small sprint toward first base to test out his foot and stayed in the game.
Ketel Marte’s go-ahead RBI single in the seventh gave the Diamondbacks a 3–2 lead.
Arizona had just two runners on base—both via walks—through three innings. Then the Diamondbacks got to Bobby Miller with four consecutive hits in the fourth. Christian Walker’s 18th homer, a 402-foot shot to center, tied the game 2–2.
It was Walker’s 15th career homer at Dodger Stadium, all since 2018, and more than any other visiting player in that time. He tied Cody Bellinger for the most homers in any player’s first 40 games at the third-oldest ballpark in the major leagues.
Hernandez’s first two RBIs gave the Dodgers a 2–0 lead. He doubled home Ohtani with two outs in the first. Hernández drove in Smith with a fielder’s choice to pitcher Ryne Nelson in the third.
