​The Dodgers, who hold first place and still have a substantial path ahead in the regular season, managed to avoid a troubling outcome despite a rare stumble against a last-place opponent. Losing a series to Colorado, a team at the bottom of the standings, would have been embarrassing no matter the remaining schedule or playoff odds. On Wednesday, they did the opposite, pulling out a 4-3 victory in the decisive game at Dodger Stadium thanks to an eighth-inning RBI single by Mookie Betts after a lengthy nine-pitch at-bat.
For much of the day, the Dodgers had not produced many quality at-bats, not since a first-inning burst of three runs. Debuting Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes kept them quiet after that, while Colorado clawed back by touching up Roki Sasaki for three runs over six innings. Sasaki’s solid effort kept the game within reach, though, and the Dodgers bullpen managed to escape a dangerous jam in the top of the eighth—loaded with bases and no outs—before the offense finally awakened in the bottom half.
The rally began with back-to-back singles by Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman off Rockies reliever Antonio Senzatela. Betts then stepped to the plate, entering the night with his recent hot streak cooled by a 1-for-15 skid. He faced a two-strike count but refused to go quietly, fouling off three different putaway pitches—a cutter, a curveball, and a 99 mph fastball—before working the count full. On the ninth pitch, Senzatela left a sinker over the plate, and Betts lined it into center to break the 3-3 tie.
The Dodgers held on in the ninth thanks to a save from Tanner Scott, clinching the series and staving off an ugly upset. Their march toward October continued, with the win preserving momentum at a crucial point in the season.
As they moved forward, the Dodgers (61-33) kept stacking victories, extending their streak to a fifth consecutive series win and maintaining the best record in baseball. With the All-Star break looming, they held a two-game lead on the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed in the National League and a substantial 6 1/2-game edge on the Atlanta Braves for a first-round bye.
Betts delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth, a moment emblematic of a team that refused to let an otherwise imperfect night define them. Sasaki’s performance, meanwhile, suggested resilience despite a rough start a week after a setback against the Padres, when misreads on tipping pitches had clouded the game. Wednesday’s decision put the Dodgers back on track, even as they navigated late-inning tension and the ongoing effort to refine their approach against a pitching staff that can still surprise.
In sum, a day that could have devolved into controversy instead reinforced the Dodgers’ standing at the top of the league, reinforced by timely hitting, smart bullpen work, and a clutch late-inning rally that kept their window to October firmly open. The narrative of their season remains one of sustained success and a disciplined push toward securing postseason positioning, with Betts delivering the definitive moment in a game that might otherwise have slipped away.