• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Five-run ninth gives Dodgers win over Diamondbacks

Jul 21, 2008 - 12:50 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks let a lead slip away Sunday, much like their grasp on first place in the National League West Division.

Brandon Webb tossed eight sterling innings, but closer Brandon Lyon allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to run away with a 6-5 comeback victory by scoring five runs in the ninth inning.

"That was a big ninth inning for us and a huge win," Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said. "Where we are sitting, doing that on the road, to come back with the way battled, it was nice to be able to steal that."

With the win, the Dodgers moved into a first-place tie with the Diamondbacks, who owned a 5 1/2-game lead in the division on June 15.

"Earlier in the year when we faced (San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy) or a Webb-like pitcher, when they have their stuff you have a tendency to feel that you are not going to win the ballgame," Torre said. "Right now we are battling and to come back on the road, especially against a team right there with us, it can't do anything but help our confidence."

Andre Ethier smacked an RBI triple for the go-ahead run after Matt Kemp had a run-scoring double to even the score at 4-4 against Lyon (2-4), who was the main culprit in denying Webb a major league-leading 14th win.

"It took us nine innings to get the big runs but we got those runs to win the game," Kemp said.

Lyon lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing five runs and five hits for his fifth blown save. On Saturday, he allowed two runs and three hits - including a homer - in one frame, but got the save.

Stephen Drew almost let the struggling closer off the hook, though, when he singled in a run in the bottom of the ninth. However, Jonathan Broxton wiggled out of the jam to record his second save since replacing the injured Takashi Saito as the closer.

Ramon Troncoso (1-1) threw two perfect innings to record his first major league victory. Starter Derek Lowe threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and seven hits.

"Right now I think our confidence is higher," Lowe said. "Once we get down we don't think, 'Hey, let's get them tomorrow.' We think that 27 outs is a long way. Webb got 24 of them, but there are still three to go."

Arizona scored three runs in the first and one in the sixth against Lowe, while Los Angeles mustered an RBI groundout by Blake DeWitt in the seventh against Webb.

"It is tough when they scored three runs in the first inning, but we kept them there and eliminated the damage," Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said. "Once you start putting zeroes up there you start getting a better feeling. We didn't really get to Webb that well, but we got his pitch count high enough so he didn't pitch the ninth inning and that was the key."

Mark Reynolds and Chris Young hit back-to-back run-scoring singles in the first for the Diamondbacks.

"Late in the game we have been getting quality at-bats," Martin said. "We are not swinging at the pitcher's pitches; instead we are getting quality at-bats. It's not always going to work out that way, but today we got a big win."