White Sox lose in 9th to Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - Yasiel Puig's two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Wednesday night for their second comeback win in as many games.
Puig sent a 3-2 pitch from Jake Petricka (1-1) into center field, scoring Logan Forsythe and Austin Barnes.
The victory salvaged the much-anticipated home debut of Yu Darvish, who didn't figure in the decision while pitching on his 31st birthday.
Leury Garcia, Nicky Delmonico and Jose Abreu homered off Darvish, who gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings. The Japanese right-hander struck out a season-low two and walked one in his third game for his new team since being acquired in a deadline deal from Texas last month.
Ross Stripling (2-4) got the victory with one inning of relief.
Darvish had struck out 10 in each of his first two starts, but didn't record his first one against the White Sox until the sixth inning.
The Dodgers rallied to tie the game in the second and fourth innings only to have the White Sox take a 4-2 lead in the eighth. But baseball's best team (85-34) wasn't to be denied a night after Los Angeles scored five runs in the eighth to win 6-1.
The Dodgers closed to 4-3 with one out in the ninth on Forsythe's RBI double in the left-field corner that scored pinch-hitter Cody Bellinger, who singled. Barnes followed with a single to center, putting runners on the corners.
That set the stage for Puig, who was 0 for 2 with a walk in his first three at-bats. He crushed the ball into center field and went leaping around first base, his arms raised, as the Dodgers broke out in celebration.
It was the kind of ending the sellout crowd of 52,413 - many Japanese wearing Darvish jerseys - had arrived expecting with Darvish on the mound. They had yet to settle in their seats when Garcia homered on Darvish's first pitch of the game. The ball clanked off the right field foul pole as fans let out an audible gasp.
It was the second straight night that happened and the first time in the White Sox's 117-year history. Tim Anderson homered on the first pitch from Los Angeles starter Alex Wood on Tuesday.
Chicago starter Carlos Rodon allowed two runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked four. He walked Chris Taylor in the third, ending a streak of 89 consecutive batters without a walk.
Chicago took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Delmonico's first homer of the game extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The rookie also extended his streak of reaching base to 13 games.
Abreu homered leading off the sixth to make it 3-2.
Delmonico hit his second homer of the game on the first pitch from reliever Tony Watson leading off the eighth, extending Chicago's lead to 4-2.
The Dodgers tied the game 1-all in the second on Rodon's wild pitch that scored Forsythe after he doubled and took third on a groundout.
Los Angeles tied it 2-all on Kike Hernandez's homer leading off the fourth.