Gio Urshela blasted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Detroit Tigers rallied from a five-run deficit in the ninth to stun the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-9, on Saturday afternoon.
Colt Keith drove in four runs and capped Detroit’s rally in the ninth with a two-run homer. Matt Vierling drove in two runs and Ryan Vilade hit his first career home run.
Will Vest (2-3) earned the victory in relief. Starter Keider Montero gave up five runs on seven hits over five innings.
Shohei Ohtani hit his 200th career home run and scored three runs for the Dodgers.
Enrique Hernandez hit a two-run homer, while Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Gavin Lux also drove in two runs for Los Angeles.
Justin Wrobleski, making his second career start for the Dodgers, gave up four runs (three earned) and five hits in five innings. Yohan Ramirez (0-4) surrendered Urshela’s walk-off homer.
The Tigers roared back from a 9-4 deficit in the ninth.
Detroit immediately began to chip away with three straight hits against Ricky Vanasco to open the inning, including Vierling’s two-run double.
Evan Phillips came on in relief and retired the next two batters before Kelly plated Vierling with a single. Keith then drove the first pitch he saw over the wall in right-center to square the game at 9.
Vest induced an inning-ending double play from Freeman with the bases loaded in the top of the 10th.
Wenceel Perez sacrificed Vilade to third to open the bottom of the frame before Urshela capped the Tigers’ rally with his fourth home run of the season.
Phillips has blown his last two save opportunities for Los Angeles, which has lost five of its last six games.
Ohtani led off the game with a triple and scored on Freeman’s fielder’s choice.
Detroit took the lead in the second on Keith’s two-run double before the Dodgers tied it at 2-2 in the third on Chris Taylor’s bases-loaded walk.
Ohtani put Los Angeles up 3-2 when he homered to start the fifth. Lux added a two-run single later in the inning.
The Tigers clawed within 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Vilade and Andy Ibanez led off the frame with back-to-back homers.
The Dodgers made it 6-4 in the sixth after Cavan Biggio drew a leadoff walk and later scored on Ohtani’s fielder’s choice.
Hernandez’s two-run homer in the seventh increased the Dodgers’ lead to 8-4. Freeman added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
