The Dodgers (74-49) bounced back and evened the series against the Brewers (75-48) Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Edwin Diaz got another shot at a save to redeem himself after Friday’s ninth-inning collapse.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six dominant innings with nine strikeouts. The offense supported him with three big scoring hits including two solo home runs from Andy Pages and Tommy Edman.
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Even the bullpen, including closer Diaz, preserved the lead in late innings.
The Dodgers pulled a Brewers with one out in the first inning when they strung together three consecutive singles. Pages and Teoscar Hernández singled, and Mookie Betts drove in the first run of the game with a base hit down the left field line.
Joey Ortiz doubled with one out in the top of the third, the first base hit allowed by Yamamoto on the night.
The Brewers used their speed to get runners on the corners with nobody out against Yamamoto in the top of the fifth. Luis Lara nearly hit one out, but he barreled into second base with a double. David Hamilton, another speedster, bunted perfectly down the third base line. Hamilton and his wheels secured the infield single and easily moved Lara to third.
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A sac fly from Ortiz tied the game, but the Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the inning.
Pages blasted a go-ahead solo home run, his 20th of the season, to put the Dodgers back in front 2-1 with two outs in the fifth.
The Dodgers All-Star outfielder took a Gasser sweeper for a ride over the left field corner wall.
Hunter Feduccia continues to contribute behind the plate while Will Smith and Dalton Rushing are out on injury. Feduccia mowed down Jake Bauers on an attempted steal of second after he managed a leadoff single against Yamamoto.
Edman added to the lead with another solo home run versus Gasser to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.
Evan Phillips took over for Yamamoto in the top of the seventh and completed a 1-2-3 inning. His sweeper looked a lot sharper, a good sign for the Dodgers bullpen.
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Tanner Scott took the ball for the Dodgers in the eighth and continued the bullpen’s solid night with a scoreless eighth. He gave up an infield single, but he hit 98-mph. That’s another good sign for the bullpen.
After the epic ninth-inning collapse by Diaz in Thursday’s series opener, the Dodgers’ closer got another shot for the save. The horns blew, and everyone collectively held their breath.
Diaz hit Andrew Vaughn to start off shaky. He reared back to strike out Christian Yelich.
Then William Contreras walked. Edman snared a Lara grounder for the second out. Hamilton also walked to load the bases for Ortiz. Mercifully Mookie Betts made the final out on a grounder to complete the win and tie the series.
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Friday particulars
Home runs: Andy Pages (20), Tommy Edman (4)
WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7): 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts (97 pitches)
LP — Robert Gasser (3-5): 6 1/3 IP, 8 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts (102 pitches)
SV — Edwin Diaz (7): He did it.
Up next
Justin Wrobleski ( 11-4, 3.44 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) makes his 20th start of the season for the Dodgers in game three Saturday (4:15 p.m., FOX). The Dodgers will have to face Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski (11-5, 1.76 ERA, 0.74 WHIP).
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