LOS ANGELES – Of all the improbable wins in an improbable season, the Dodgers may have finally outdone themselves Friday night.
What they did seemed incomprehensible and unlikely. Down 6-0 after six innings and 6-3 after eight, they somehow scrambled for four runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.
"It was kind of unbelievable, really," manager Don Mattingly said. "It happened so fast."
Fast doesn't tell the half of it.
The Dodgers played lackadaisically for much of the night after arriving from St. Louis at 2:30 a.m. Friday morning. They were shut out for six innings by Rays left-hander David Price, and their defense in the second inning was horrible, allowing Tampa Bay to score three times.
But they are nothing if not patient. All they needed was a little time.
"It was tough to get going," first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said, "but we kept plugging along and gave ourselves a chance. It was awesome."
So was the finish: Facing Tampa Bay closer Fernando Rodney, the Dodgers strung together three consecutive one-out hits – a triple by Mark Ellis for one run, a double by Nick Punto to score another and a double by Gonzalez to tie the game.
The Rays intentionally walked Yasiel Puig with first base open, bringing up Jerry Hairston Jr.
Hairston hit a comebacker to Rodney, a perfect double-play ball that should have ended the inning. But Rodney threw wildly to second base, allowing Gonzalez to score the game-winner.
"The little guys can really get it going for us," Gonzalez joked, referring to Ellis, Punto and Hairston.
They did, but this clearly wasn't a game the Dodgers figured to win. Not facing Rodney and a three-run deficit.
"Well, you don't like your chances," Mattingly said. "Obviously what we've been able to do recently, everything seems to be working out. When you're down in a game like that, you keep creeping (back), and our bullpen kept us in there and gave us a chance."
Mattingly credited the work of J.P. Howell and Brandon League, who combined for 2 2/3 shutout innings in relief of starter Chris Capuano.
The Dodgers maintained their 5½-game lead over Arizona in the National League and have won 11 consecutive games decided by one run.
But there was something special about this one, given their likely fatigue after arriving home so late.
"Everybody knows we got in late," Mattingly said. "We know we got in late. But these guys came out to play."
