Tommy Edman hit a go-ahead single in the 11th inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved closer to their 12th National League West title in 13 seasons with a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Wednesday.
The Dodgers (89-69) own the tiebreaker over the second-place San Diego Padres (87-72) and can clinch the division title with a victory in the series finale against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.
Edman had three singles, Mookie Betts had three hits and an RBI and Andy Pages hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who close the season with a three-game series in Seattle.
In the 11th inning, automatic runner Freddie Freeman moved to third on a one-out flyout by Teoscar Hernandez against Brandyn Garcia (0-2) to bring up Edman, the 2024 NLCS MVP.
Ketel Marte had three hits and scored twice, Corbin Carroll had two hits and two stolen bases and Gabriel Moreno drove in two runs for the D-backs, who had won three in a row and seven of their past 10.
The D-backs loaded the bases in the 10th after a sacrifice bunt and a pair of intentional walks but could not score. Jake McCarthy popped out against Jack Dreyer, and Blake Treinen (2-7) got James McCann to pop out to end the inning.
Jason Wrobleski pitched a 1-2-3 11th for his second save.
The D-backs (80-78) remained one game behind the New York Mets (81-77) for the final NL wild-card spot with four games to play. Cincinnati (80-78) owns the tiebreaker over both and also would win a three-team tiebreaker.
The Dodgers got one scoreless relief inning apiece from Clayton Kershaw and Roki Sasaki, but they could not hold a 4-1 lead behind Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez in the D-backs’ three-run eighth.
Kershaw pitched a 1-2-3 ninth in his fourth career regular-season relief appearance, his first since Sept. 29, 2019, the finale that year. Sasaki, activated from the injured list before the game, tossed a 1-2-3 seventh.
Marte singled with one out in the eighth off Vesia. Geraldo Perdomo walked before Carroll doubled in Marte. With Henriquez on the mound, Moreno hit a dribbler in front of the plate that was not fielded cleanly as Perdomo scored. Pinch hitter Adrian Del Castillo’s sacrifice fly tied it at 4-4.
Dodgers starter Blake Snell gave up one run on five hits in six innings, with five strikeouts and one walk.
D-backs starter Ryne Nelson allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings, with nine strikeouts and no walks.
–Field Level Media
