LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jake Bauers delivered the Brewers' third RBI single of the ninth inning with two outs, and Milwaukee rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night to stay alone atop the National League standings.
Los Angeles entered the ninth with a 4-2 lead, but Edwin Diaz (2-2) gave up four straight one-out singles, including run-scoring hits by Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell. The majors’ highest-paid closer has
blown saves in three of his last four appearances, with his ERA ballooning to 11.57.
Alex Vesia relieved Diaz, but Chourio scored on a bouncing single by Bauers, a Huntington Beach native.
DL Hall (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, and Trevor Megill threw a perfect ninth for his 22nd save as the Brewers dramatically rebounded late in their first game since getting swept by the surging San Diego Padres.
In a rematch of last year's National League Championship Series, the comeback victory kept NL Central-leading Milwaukee (75-47) two games ahead of NL West-leading Los Angeles (73-49), which had won four of five after a seven-game skid.
Pinch-hitter Max Muncy crushed a three-run shot in the sixth inning to become the top home run hitter in Dodger Stadium history, but Los Angeles’ three-game winning streak ended with another concerning bullpen meltdown.
Muncy’s 131st homer at Chavez Ravine was a 426-foot drive to center field that broke Eric Karros’ franchise record for the majors’ third-oldest ballpark.
Roki Sasaki pitched six innings of four-hit ball, but he also issued five walks, including two with the bases loaded in a rocky fourth inning.
Shane Drohan yielded three runs on three hits and three walks while pitching into the sixth for Milwaukee.
Freddie Freeman didn't take a day off after his frightening fall into the visitors' dugout Wednesday while chasing a foul popup, going 0 for 3 with a walk.
World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-7, 2.65 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers on Friday against Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.57) and the Brewers.
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