MILWAUKEE _ For the second time in three days, Josh Hader had a Los Angeles Dodger where he wanted him. There were two out in the top of the ninth inning at Miller Park on Sunday and the Milwaukee Brewers' star left-handed reliever had two strikes on Cody Bellinger.
Imagining Bellinger succeeding in this situation was next to impossible more than a couple of days ago. But that was before Enrique Hernandez smashed a go-ahead three-run home run on an 0-2 pitch against Hader on Friday night. The blast proved Hader was mortal.
And Sunday, Bellinger proved it again, launching a 1-2 slider from Hader into the bleachers beyond the right-field wall for the go-ahead run in the Dodgers' 6-5 win.
The Dodgers (15-9) concluded a stretch of 17 games in 17 days with a 10-7 record. They're off Monday before beginning a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field to continue their run of 20 consecutive games against teams in the National League Central, widely regarded as baseball's best division this season.
The Brewers (13-10) are the favorites to claim the division crown after winning 96 games and losing to the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series last season. To beat them Sunday and seize three of four in the series, the Dodgers had to overcome a mistake by their top reliever.
Kenley Jansen was summoned to replace Pedro Baez with two on and two out in the eighth inning. His four-out save endeavor began by facing pinch-hitter Eric Thames, who worked the count full after Ryan Braun and Yasmani Grandal advanced a base on an uncontested steal attempt, leaving first base open. Travis Shaw, another left-handed hitter, was on deck. Jansen chose to attack Thames. The execution was disastrous. Jansen offered a 94-mph cutter over the plate and Thames hammered it for a tying three-run home run.
The Dodgers had a three-run lead on the backs of Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Bellinger, who combined to collect the Dodgers' 10 hits.
Pederson celebrated his 27th birthday with his fourth career four-hit game. He slugged two home runs, giving him 10 on the season, and singled twice. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts even let Pederson, who is usually shielded from facing left-handed pitchers, hit against left-hander Donnie Hart in the sixth inning. Pederson reached on an infield single because Hart allowed his slow groundball to trickle under his glove. Pederson had started the season 0 for 9 against lefties.
In addition to his go-ahead home run, Bellinger recorded two singles and robbed Christian Yelich of his 14th home run with a leaping catch at the wall in the eighth inning. Seager had three hits, including two doubles.
Pitching at Miller Park for the first time since closing Game 7 of the National League Championship Series here in October, Clayton Kershaw allowed two runs on two hits across six innings in his second start of the season. His control was initially faulty _ he issued four walks, including two to Yelich, in the first three innings _ but he didn't allow a hit until Orlando Arcia led off the bottom of the fifth with a triple into the right-field corner. Two batters later, Kershaw served up a slider over the plate to Lorenzo Cain. It landed just over the wall in left-center field.
Kershaw struck out seven and passed Don Drysdale for the second-most strikeouts in Los Angeles Dodgers history with his 2,284th career punchout in the third inning.
It took the Dodgers four pitches and two at-bats to match their hit total from Saturday. Pederson mashed the game's second pitch _ a 93-mph two-seam fastball _ to the hitter's eye beyond the center-field wall for his ninth home run. Two pitches later, Seager slashed a line drive to the left-center field gap for a double. He scored on Bellinger's single to give Los Angeles a quick two-run lead.
The margin doubled with two outs in the second inning. Pederson singled. Seager followed with another double to the same gap to drive Pederson home. After Justin Turner walked, Bellinger landed a flare in shallow right field for his second RBI single and a 4-0 lead.
