Miguel Rojas provided a big swing and J.D. Martinez had timely hits to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-3 comeback win against the Seattle Mariners to start their road trip on a positive note.
As Bobby Miller and George Kirby were locked in a scoreless duel, Seattle broke through in the fourth inning on Eugenio Suárez’s solo home run.
Their lead was short-lived, however, as Rojas connected on a go-ahead home run with two outs in the fifth. Will Smith getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning led to another run when Max Muncy followed with his first triple of the season.
J.D. Martinez then hit a flare into center field for an RBI single that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-1.
For as well as Miller had pitched throughout the night, he ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth. A leadoff single and walk put two on base, then a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance.
Teoscar Hernández cut into the Dodgers’ lead with an RBI single, and another run scored on a double play. But Miller failed to make it through the inning as he gave up a two-out base hit to Ty France.
Caleb Ferguson’s wild pitch allowed France to move into scoring position, where he was stranded. After Ferguson gave up a one-out double in the seventh, Brusdar Graterol entered and retired both batters faced.
The Dodgers appeared primed to add onto their lead when Freddie Freeman drew a leadoff walk in the eighth, stole second base and took third on a throwing error. Just as the opportunity was slipping through their fingers when Smith and Muncy both struck out, Martinez delivered his second two-out RBI single of the game.
The insurance run loomed particularly large as the Dodgers twice dropped a foul ball in the bottom of the eighth and France was eventually hit by a pitch to put two on. Ryan Brasier struck out Mike Ford to work out of the jam.
James Outman’s 20th home run of the season put the Dodgers up by three, and Evan Phillips entered in the bottom of the ninth for his 23rd save, but not before the Mariners brought the tying run to the plate.
Dodgers magic number
With their victory and the San Francisco Giants losing in walk-off fashion, the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the National League West is down to two.
They can wrap up a 10th division title in the past 11 seasons as early as Saturday.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
