​The Arizona Diamondbacks improved to 47-47 with a late surge that vaulted them to a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who fell to 61-34, on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. After the D-backs grabbed an early lead only to watch it slip away in the first inning on back-to-back home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages, Tim Tawa answered in the fourth with a solo homer that would prove to be the turning point and set the stage for Arizona’s decisive stretch run.
Sloppy ball and costly errors proved difficult for the Dodgers to overcome, as their offense finished 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left six men stranded. The D-backs wasted no time initiating the attack, opening the game with two quick singles in the 0-2 hole against Kyle Hurt. Gabriel Moreno delivered the first run with a clutch RBI single to right field, initiating the scoring. A throwing error by Tucker allowed a second run to score, pushing the lead to 2-0 for the Snakes.
Ohtani, who was scratched from his final start of the season due to lingering inflammation in his left knee, still manned the lineup and delivered a leadoff homer to trim Arizona’s edge to one run. All-Star Andy Pages followed with a monumental 419-foot solo shot off a Rodriguez sinker to knot the game at two apiece, delivering a timely equalizer and energizing the Dodgers’ dugout.
Will Klein took the mound for Los Angeles next, working out of a jam by stranding Corbin Carroll at second in the third inning to keep the game tied. The D-backs then capitalized in the fourth when Tim Tawa turned on a Brock Stewart four-seamer for a no-doubt home run, reclaiming the lead and doubling down on the Dodgers’ misfortune.
Arizona continued to cash in on Dodgers’ defense, adding to the damage in the fifth inning with an errant throw from Dalton Rushing representing the fifth Dodgers error in three games. A productive scoring groundout increased the D-backs’ advantage to three runs, while a wild pitch by Edgardo Henriquez brought in another run, stretching the lead to 6-2. The misplays continued in the sixth, contributing to a multi-run frame as Arizona tacked on two more runs in both the fourth and sixth innings, respectively, effectively extending the lead to 8-2 before the top of the eighth.
In the eighth, Tawa delivered again, singling off Evan Phillips to drive in another run and make it 9-2. The Dodgers climbed one run closer in the bottom of the ninth on Miguel Rojas’ RBI double, but the game had already been decided, and Arizona maintained the heavy edge to preserve the victory.
Homer-wise, Ohtani’s and Pages’ early blasts stood out for the Dodgers, but Tim Tawa’s timely blast in the fourth and the relentless pressure from Arizona’s offense carried the weight of the night. For Ohtani, the leadoff homer added a dramatic early spark despite his knee concerns, while Pages’ blast tied the game and signaled that the Dodgers would need more than a quick counterpunch to slow down the D-backs’ momentum.
Pitching notes showed Edgardo Rodriguez earning the win with six innings of work, allowing seven hits and two runs, one walk, and five strikeouts on 87 pitches. Will Klein took the loss after 1 2/3 innings, surrendering one run on two walks and a pair of strikeouts. The Dodgers’ bullpen ultimately could not keep Arizona from extending its lead, especially after the fourth inning when the D-backs began to pull away.
Key players and moments to watch going forward include Tim Tawa’s power and patience at the plate, demonstrated by his fourth-inning homer that changed the trajectory of the game, and Gabriel Moreno’s early RBI hit that opened the scoring. Arizona’s defense, while imperfect at times, exploited Dodgers’ errors to generate additional scoring opportunities, underscoring the importance of capitalizing on opponent miscues in big-game situations.
With the win, the D-backs improved to 47-47 as they go head-to-head with the Dodgers again in the second game of the series. The Dodgers, meanwhile, left with a tougher path to maintain their dominant standing in the NL West. Looking ahead, the teams prepare for game two of the series, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto slated to start for Los Angeles (9-5, 2.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) at 6:10 p.m. on SportsNet LA. Brandon Pfaadt (2-1, 4.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) was lined up to start for Arizona, providing a compelling rematch as the series progresses.