Mookie Betts' walk-off home run gives Dodgers victory over Rockies

Mookie Betts swears he had no intention of looking at the scoreboard on Sunday afternoon.

But as he did so, he became aware of the Dodgers' plight.

Late in Sunday's game against the weaker Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers were trailing and in danger of losing two of three games against the worst team in the National League West.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres, the second-place team in the NL West, were coming off a win over the historically bad Chicago White Sox, a result that caught Betts' eye on the away game scoreboard on the right outfield boundary.

“I didn't want to watch it,” Betts said. “But they won. And we had to win a game there.”

So Betts and the Dodgers won a game.

After trailing by four runs early in the seventh inning and one run early in the ninth, the Dodgers avoided disaster and moved one step closer to the NL West division title when Shohei Ohtani and Betts hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning to earn a 6-5 walk-off victory at Dodger Stadium.

Had the Dodgers lost, their lead in the division would have been in jeopardy, shrinking to two games as the Padres come to town this week for a monumental three-game series at Chavez Ravine.

Now, however, the Dodgers have some breathing room. They're still three games ahead of the Padres in the standings. Their magic number to win the division has dropped to four. And if they don't get swept this week, a division title — and, more importantly, a likely first-round bye in the playoffs — seems within reach.

Mookie Betts celebrates his walkoff home run in the ninth inning against Colorado on Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“That,” said manager Dave Roberts, “felt like two wins,”

For most of Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers had a two-loss feel to them.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggled through a four-run, three-inning start, failing to control the ball (three walks) or limit body contact (four hits), falling well short of the six-inning goal Roberts had set before the game.

“It's all about my technique,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiru Sonoda. “My technique wasn't right and the speed of my movements was a little off. I need to make some adjustments to that.”

The Dodgers offense, meanwhile, wasted numerous early opportunities, leaving 11 of their 13 baserunners helpless (largely due to double plays in each of the first three innings) and scoring just one of nine runs with runners in scoring position.

“It wasn't a great start,” Roberts said. “We had some chances. The ground ball double plays certainly ruined some rallies.”

To make matters worse, the outfield scoreboard reflected what was happening in San Diego, where the Padres – who had already secured a head-to-head matchup with the Dodgers this year – overcame a late deficit against the White Sox to secure their fourth straight win.

“They've had us under control so far,” Roberts said of the Padres, who have won seven of 10 games against the Dodgers this year. “Losing a series (against the Rockies) would have been tough, you feel a little bit mentally like you're on the wrong track.”

But then the Dodgers came to life.

Kiké Hernández, who was added to Sunday's lineup on short notice after third baseman Max Muncy was ruled out of the roster because of side soreness (he is expected to be back in the lineup Tuesday), started the comeback with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, cutting a 5-1 deficit in half.

Freddie Freeman, who entered the day with just a .214 batting average over the past two weeks and recorded two of the game's early double plays, capitalized on Ohtani's steal of second base (his second of the day and his 55th of the season) later in the inning with an RBI single to put the game at 5-4.

“I think Freddie getting the base hit to score a run kind of motivated us,” Roberts said. “You know, Freddie was trying to find his way. And we go with him as far as his emotions go. And when he's more down, it seems like everyone is following him. But when he's up and going, that energy transfers to everyone else.”

With the help of a six-inning bullpen performance, including three one-run innings from rookie Ben Casparius, the stage was set for the bottom of the ninth inning.

Ohtani started with a line drive to right field and capped his four-hit performance with his 53rd and perhaps most important home run of the season. In his last four games, the MVP favorite has now gone 14-of-18 with five home runs, six stolen bases and 13 RBIs, putting his batting average back above .300 this year.

“I really haven't seen a player as focused as Shohei in a long time,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who declined to speak to reporters after the game. “Just huge hits, huge home runs.”

Shohei Ohtani hits his 53rd home run of the season in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Three pitches later, Betts completed the comeback by hitting a two-strike, 101 mph sinker from Seth Halvorsen into the left field for the second walk-off home run of his career and the first for the Dodgers.

“Shohei starts with a home run to give us some energy,” Betts said. “And luckily I was able to get a good swing in.”

Depending on how the next (and final) week of the regular season goes, the Dodgers could end up with the best record in baseball and leave the field on Sunday with a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (who played their final game on Sunday).

However, they must first secure the division – and, given their pitching problems, secure a bye in the best-of-three wildcard round.

“It would certainly be helpful where we are now,” Roberts said before the game about the importance of these tasks. “It's in our own hands. So that would certainly be welcome and it's something we still have to earn. We still have some work to do.”

The theatrics at the end of Sunday's game made the work a little easier as we entered the final week of the season.

“Man, what an inning,” Roberts said, letting out a sigh of pride and relief. “It just makes us feel so good to compete on an off day (before) a big series.”

Gonsolin’s next step

A day after pitching three scoreless innings in his third minor league rehab assignment this month, Tony Gonsolin remains a possible option for the Dodgers' pitching staff for the postseason, manager Dave Roberts said. However, the team will wait until Gonsolin throws a bullpen session next week before deciding what's next for the right-hander.

Gonsolin is attempting to make a surprise comeback after undergoing Tommy John surgery late last season, which was originally expected to sideline him until the 2025 season.

In his three rehab starts in Triple-A this month, Gonsolin had a 2.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 7 ⅔ innings. In Saturday's game, he averaged just under 92 mph with his fastball (and peaked at 94.3 mph) while missing all five swings against his slider, changeup and splitter.

In a best-case scenario, Gonsolin could start pitching for the Dodgers in their final regular-season series next weekend in Colorado, but Roberts said that's not a requirement to be considered for a spot on the postseason roster.

“He's got postseason experience,” Roberts said of Gonsolin, who could help the Dodgers as a starter or multi-inning reliever. “The most important thing for us is to continue to advance his development. And then we'll just see where he's at, where we're at.”