Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to win a key game.
Edman, with two outs, was down 0-2 in the count, looking like he was about to strike out, but then he went on defensive mode, swung at everything coming his way, and even with a pitch out of the zone, he got ahold of one and sent it down the line to left field.
The Dodgers looked like they were going to cruise towards a 4-2 win after a dominant start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Kyle Hurt allowed a two-run homer in the eighth inning that coughed up the lead.
Edgardo Henriquez did what he has done all year long — deliver a stabilizing performance with four outs to get the Dodgers a zero in the ninth inning and get them out of trouble in the eighth.
Evan Phillips got the 10th-inning nod, and after allowing a single, he got a strikeout and then a double play on a ground ball.
He had been struggling, but due to the rest of the bullpen being tired, Phillips’ name was called, and he stepped up and delivered. Heading into the postseason, it was exactly the kind of game that he needed to earn some faith from Dave Roberts and the organization.
Offensively, it was more of a team effort rather than a standout player. The Dodgers capitalized with runners in scoring position when they could, and even though they didn’t create many, LA delivered on enough of them.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s impressive night
Yamamoto had nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings, quite a high figure for a guy who tends to be more of a soft-contact generator.
He didn’t go his usual seven innings, but he showed an elite pitch mix and great stuff, especially on his splitter.
He allowed those five hits, but again, Yamamoto keeps the Dodgers in the game. He helped protect the bullpen and set up the Dodgers well for the upcoming game on Saturday.
The Dodgers play in the afternoon on Saturday for the second game of the series.
