The Los Angeles Dodgers were down to their final out, eventually their final strike, but nonetheless managed to complete a 25th come-from-behind victory this season. Yasiel Puig’s three-run home run with two strikes capped off a 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins to open the second half.
Joc Pederson’s two-out single in the ninth began the rally and Yasmani Grandal’s walk put Puig in position to play the role of hero. Puig previously homered in the fifth inning, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead at the time.
The game-winning home run was his second in the ninth inning this season, and the performance was his third multi-home run game of the year. Puig is now up to 18 home runs, which trails only the 19 homers he slugged as a rookie in 2013.
The Dodgers had been a victim of bad luck as multiple line drives and well-struck balls were finding gloves more times than not. Singles from Chris Taylor and Justin Turner put runners on the corners in the first inning, but both were stranded.
It was nearly the same story in second, after Joc Pederson doubled and Yasmani Grandal singled with nobody out, but a botched double-steal attempt with two outs worked in the Dodgers’ favor.
Dee Gordon dropped the throw at second base, then airmailed the ball over J.T. Realmuto’s head, allowing Pederson to score. Dan Straily managed to quiet the Dodgers after that point, until he surrendered solo home runs to Puig and Seager in the fifth inning.
Straily’s night came to an end at five innings of work, and three runs (two earned) on eight hits.
In his second start since returning from a stint on the disabled list, officially due to right knee tendinitis, but presumably also because of command issues resurfacing, Brandon McCarthy wasn’t particularly effective and failed to make it through five innings.
The Marlins made plenty of contact and strung together hits early but had nothing to show for it through three innings. That changed in the fourth when Martin Prado’s two-out double was followed by a J.T. Realmuto RBI single.
Giancarlo Stanton sliced a double to right field that Puig bobbled on his barehanded attempt, which allowed Gordon to score easily from first base. A passed ball allowed Stanton to advance to third base, and McCarthy later walked Marcell Ozuna with two outs.
That prompted a mound visit from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who elected to leave the right-hander in the game. He was not rewarded for the trust, as Justin Bour drove a two-run double to left-center field that gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead and knocked McCarthy out of the game.
Marlins relievers Junichi Tazawa and Kyle Barraclough each turned in a perfect inning of relief. That was snapped when David Phelps walked Taylor to start the eighth inning. JT Riddle managed to erase the free pass by scooping a one-hopper to start a double play.
A.J. Ramos completely undid the work of his teammates with his blown save. Comparatively, Ross Stripling, Brandon Morrow and Josh Field combined for 3.1 scoreless innings, complete with five strikeouts.
The Dodgers extended their winning streak to seven games, improved to 27-4 in their last 31 games, and maintained the best record in the Majors at 62-29.
