Dodgers extend NL West lead to 5 games with 10-9 win over D-backs (2024)

The Dodgers (81-54) edged out the Arizona Diamondbacks (76-59) in the series opener 10-9 Friday at Chase Field. The already taxed bullpen had to get 24 outs after Clayton Kershaw left in the second inning with a toe injury.

The game was a mess, but the Dodgers’ bullpen and offense did just enough to hold off the D-backs. A struggling Will Smith came up with a big three-run home run in the seventh. Freddie Freeman hit a home run in his first at-bat after missing games due to his fractured finger. Shohei Ohtani became the first 43-43 player in MLB history, and his home run in the eighth was the difference in the game.

Shohei Ohtani opened the series with an extra-base hit off the first pitch he saw from Zac Gallen. That was good for Ohtani’s 30th double of the season.

Freddie Freeman, back in the lineup, drove a two-run home run to left center field for his first homer since August 9.

Clayton Kershaw found himself in some early hot water. The D-backs tied it up 2-2 in the home half of the first. It started with a Geraldo Perdomo leadoff double. Kershaw walked Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Josh Bell’s RBI single made it a 2-1 game. Kershaw hit Jake McCarthy with a pitch to load the bases for the D-backs with one out.

Bell helped the Dodgers out in a confusing play to end the inning. Teoscar Hernández made a slick sliding catch in left field on a Eugenio Suárez fly ball. While the run scored on the sac fly, Bell never tagged up at second base to gift the Dodgers the third out.

The Dodgers continued to hit Gallen in the second inning and got back in front with three consecutive singles. Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas singled to give the Dodgers back the lead.

Gallen hit Ohtani with a pitch right on his elbow to load the bases. A Mookie Betts sac fly made it 4-2, and the fifth run for the Dodgers was on a scoring Freeman groundout.

After Corbin Carroll’s leadoff home run in second inning, Kershaw was removed with an injury to his left big toe. The Dodgers’ bullpen was already taxed, but they now had to pick up the slack for Kershaw’s second inning removal.

The D-backs tied the game in the bottom of the third after Joe Kelly came in and made 46 pitches. Kelly served up three hits, two walks, a hit batter and a disengagement violation.

The game slowed down as the pitchers settled. Gallen collected three scoreless innings after allowing five runs over the first three innings. Alex Vesia and Ryan Brasier pitched a combined 2 ¹⁄₃ shutout innings.

The Dodgers took a 6-5 lead in the sixth on a Muncy leadoff double and Joe Mantiply wild pitch.

Will Smith broke the game open in the seventh with a three-run home run off Paul Sewald.

Ohtani made it 10-5 with his 43rd home run of the season in the eighth against Sewald. With his earlier stolen base, Ohtani now has 43 homers and 43 stolen bases, the first player to achieve this.

Arizona scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth against Anthony Banda to get the D-backs within three runs of the Dodgers’ lead. Eugenio Suárez hit a two-run home run to make it a one-run game.

Banda was running on fumes, but he was able to finally get the final outs to secure the win over the D-backs. The Dodgers now lead the D-backs and Padres by five games in the NL West with 27 games remaining in the regular season.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Freddie Freeman (18), Corbin Carroll (18), Will Smith (17), Shohei Ohtani (43), Eugenio Suárez (21)

WP — Ryan Brasier(1-0): 1 IP, no hits, no runs, no walks, no strikeouts

LP — Dylan Floro (5-4): 2⁄3 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, no walks, no strikeouts

Up next

Gavin Stone (11-5, 3.33 ERA, 1.212 WHIP) looks for his 12th win of the year for the Dodgers in the second game of the four-game set.

The D-backs will counter with Merrill Kelly (4-0, 3.98 ERA, 1.18 WHIP).

First pitch is at 5:10 p.m. PST on SportsNet LA