Dodgers inch closer to NL West crown with gritty win in Arizona

PHOENIX – After 11 innings, seven relievers, and a handful of frayed nerves, the Dodgers walked out of Chase Field on Wednesday night with a win — and their magic number to clinch the NL West whittled down to just one.

This 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks had all the tension of a playoff game, and the Dodgers responded with the kind of resilience October baseball demands.

“It definitely felt like a playoff-type game tonight,” said Tommy Edman, whose clutch RBI single in the 11th inning broke a 4-4 tie and ultimately delivered the win.

Edman finished the night 3-for-5, but it was that final knock — a clean liner to center with two outs and a runner on third — that may be remembered most if the Dodgers pop champagne tomorrow.

The night began with a familiar sight: Shohei Ohtani igniting the offense. He opened the game with a blistering triple off the center-field wall — a ball that would have been a homer in 28 out of 30 MLB parks, including Dodger Stadium. Mookie Betts brought Ohtani home with a sacrifice fly, his 10th of the season — a new career high — putting the Dodgers on the board early.

The D-backs quickly answered, though, as Ketel Marte doubled and scored on a sac fly of their own. Blake Snell, who lacked sharpness early, needed 26 pitches to get through the first.

The game's momentum turned in the fourth inning thanks to Andy Pages, who first saved a run in the third with a difficult over-the-shoulder catch in deep center. One inning later, he turned defense into offense with a two-run blast to left — his 26th homer of the year, and 23rd against right-handed pitching. It gave the Dodgers a 3-1 cushion and highlighted the emerging star’s impact in all facets of the game.

Snell steadied himself after the shaky first and completed six innings of one-run ball, navigating traffic and trusting his stuff — and his manager. For the second consecutive start, Dave Roberts made a mid-inning visit to Snell but left him in to finish the job. It paid off. A double play and a strikeout silenced Arizona's sixth-inning hopes.

Snell’s final line: 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 95 pitches — finishing his regular season with a sparkling 2.35 ERA over 11 starts.

Perhaps the most exciting development of the night: Roki Sasaki’s return. The rookie phenom took the mound for the seventh — his first appearance since May 9 — and looked every bit the future ace or closer this October. His fastball sat 98-99 mph, and he froze hitters with a splitter that drew uncomfortable swings. He needed just 13 pitches to retire the side, including a strikeout on a 100-mph heater to end the inning.

“He looked like a different person,” Roberts said. 

The Dodgers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth, thanks to Teoscar Hernández, who roped an RBI double — his 16th hit at Chase Field, where he’s now hitting .327 for his career. That 4-1 lead, though, wouldn’t hold.

For the second straight night, the Dodgers’ bullpen leaked late. A three-run Arizona rally in the eighth tied the game, nullifying strong outings from both Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw, who worked a scoreless frame in the ninth. Even so, the Dodgers held firm. Jack Dreyer and Blake Treinen navigated a tense 10th that saw the D-backs load the bases. Treinen got James McCann to pop up, and the Dodgers escaped.

“Right now, you’re betting on people. I trust Clayton, and he did a great job tonight,' Roberts said. "He got his juices going and picked us up big with a clean inning.”

“I don’t think any of us really know what the rotation looks like in October yet,” Kershaw said. “I had a long time in between starts, so instead of throwing a bullpen, I just threw today. I’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”

With two outs and a runner on third in the 11th, it was Tommy Edman who played hero. His RBI single to center gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Justin Wrobleski came on for the save and struck out Alek Thomas to close it out — his first career save and a crucial one.

Now, with a single win — or one more Padres loss — the NL West crown belongs to L.A. again.

“It was like a playoff game. We’re fighting, they’re fighting,” Roberts said. “We essentially exhausted everyone on the active roster.”

The Dodgers send Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.58 ERA) to the mound for Thursday’s series finale. The D-backs counter with Zac Gallen (13-14, 4.70 ERA), who’s struggled in September but still owns ace-caliber stuff.

One more win — and the division race is over. The Dodgers, once again, are knocking on the door of October.