Dodgers finally snap seven-game skid, survive Diamondbacks in extras

PHOENIX — For the second night in a row, the Dodgers walked into the bottom of the ninth inning at Chase Field with a one-run lead and three outs standing between them and a much-needed victory.

And for the second night in a row, the lead disappeared.

This time, though, the Dodgers found a way to finish the job.

After blowing a one-run lead in the ninth inning for the second consecutive night, the Dodgers scored in the 10th and held on for a 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night, finally putting an end to their seven-game losing streak.

Jack Dreyer made sure there would be no repeat of Friday night.

With the automatic runner at second to begin the bottom of the 10th, Dreyer worked around the threat before inducing a game-ending double play. 15 pitches after entering the game, Dreyer had his first save of the season and the Dodgers had their first win in eight games.

The Dodgers had to earn every bit of it.

The offense was once again quiet for most of the night, managing only one hit through the first six innings against Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt ultimately completed seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits on 93 pitches.

It was another frustrating night for a Dodgers lineup that managed only two hits against Merrill Kelly on Friday.

On Saturday, the Dodgers finally broke through in the eighth.

Kyle Tucker crushed a solo home run to right field off Jonathan Loáisiga, breaking up a scoreless game and giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night.

It was Tucker's 11th home run of the season and his fourth since the All-Star break. He had hit just seven before the break, making his recent power surge one of the few bright spots in an otherwise frustrating stretch for the Dodgers.

But the lead was anything but safe.

Dave Roberts went back to Edwin Díaz for the ninth, giving his closer another chance to secure a victory after Friday night's devastating finish.

Díaz couldn't do it.

The Diamondbacks opened the inning with back-to-back triples from Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll, with Carroll's triple bringing home the tying run without an out being recorded.

For the second consecutive night, Díaz had blown a save.

But unlike Friday, when Ryan Walderschmidt's two-run walk-off homer sent the Dodgers home with a 4-3 loss and extended their skid to seven games, Díaz managed to keep the damage from getting worse.

He recorded the final three outs of the inning and sent the game into extras tied at 1.

The Dodgers finally delivered in the 10th.

With runners on the corners and two outs, Shohei Ohtani hit a sharp ground ball toward first baseman Tim Tawa. Tawa couldn't handle it, allowing Ohtani to reach safely on an infield single and Kyle Tucker to race home with the go-ahead run.

It was an unconventional way to take the lead, but after everything the Dodgers had endured over the previous seven games, they weren't going to complain.

Tucker had started the night with the only Dodgers run. He scored the run that ultimately ended the losing streak, too.

Then came Dreyer.

The left-hander took over for the bottom of the 10th and calmly shut the door, finishing the game with a double play and sending the Dodgers into the night with a victory they desperately needed.

The win also salvaged a brilliant effort from Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yamamoto wasn't at his best, but considering he was battling an illness, his performance was good enough to help the Dodgers avoid an eight game losing streak.

The right-hander fought through 107 pitches, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six and keeping the Diamondbacks scoreless. 

His final line: 5⅔ innings, three hits, three walks, no runs, six strikeouts and 107 pitches, 62 for strikes.

It was only the third time in 21 starts this season that Yamamoto failed to complete six innings. But on a night when the Dodgers desperately needed someone to stop the bleeding, Yamamoto did exactly that.

The Dodgers' seven-game losing streak is finally over.

It wasn't clean. It wasn't easy. And it certainly wasn't the type of victory that will be remembered for offensive fireworks. But after Friday's collapse and a week that had seemingly found a new way to go wrong every night, the Dodgers finally got the result they needed.

A 2-1 win. In 10 innings. And, most importantly, a win.

The Dodgers will now turn to Justin Wrobleski on Sunday as they try to win the series before returning to Los Angeles on Monday to begin a series against the Kansas City Royals.