Geraldo Perdomo lined a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a comeback and lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night at Chase Field. The win kept Arizona within striking distance in the National League wild-card race and prevented Los Angeles from extending its lead in the NL West.
Oddsmakers had the Dodgers listed as -140 favorites on the moneyline, with the Diamondbacks at +120. The total was set at 8.5 runs, and the clubs combined for nine, narrowly pushing the result over.
Arizona entered the ninth trailing 4-3 before manufacturing a decisive rally against Dodgers closer Tanner Scott. Tim Tawa reached second base, and Jorge Barrosa brought him in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Two batters later, Perdomo connected on a sharp single to left, scoring Tawa and sealing the walk-off win. Scott, who fell to 1-4, recorded only one out while allowing two runs.
The victory kept Arizona tied with Cincinnati and one game behind the New York Mets for the final NL wild-card spot with less than a week remaining in the regular season. Los Angeles, meanwhile, saw its division margin trimmed, with the Dodgers holding only a 1 1/2-game lead over the San Diego Padres.
The night began with Shohei Ohtani in command for Los Angeles. Making his 100th career start on the mound, the two-way star pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight while allowing five singles. He threw a season-high 91 pitches, marking his third consecutive scoreless outing. Ohtani also walked once and scored a run, though he went hitless in three at-bats.
The Dodgers built a 4-0 advantage behind Ohtani’s work and timely hitting from Teoscar Hernández and Ben Rortvedt. Hernández opened the scoring with his 25th home run of the season in the second inning and later added a two-run single in the sixth. Rortvedt contributed his first home run of the year in the seventh, pushing the lead to four runs.
Arizona’s offense had been stifled until the bottom of the seventh, when it mounted a rally against reliever Alex Vesia. Pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo cut the deficit in half with a two-run homer, his third of the season. Barrosa then worked a walk and came around to score on a sacrifice fly, bringing the Diamondbacks within one run at 4-3.
Dodgers starter Ohtani departed with the lead, but the bullpen could not protect it. Brandon Pfaadt started for Arizona and kept his team within reach, giving up three runs on six hits over six innings while striking out four. Ryan Thompson earned the win for Arizona by working a scoreless ninth.
Barrosa, who entered the game hitting just .150, delivered the tying sacrifice fly in the ninth before Perdomo’s game-winning single. The result energized the home crowd and kept Arizona’s postseason hopes alive for at least another day.
The series continues Wednesday night with Arizona, which is scheduled to start right-hander Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.34 ERA) against Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (5-4, 2.44 ERA).
