Dodgers move into first place in NL West for first time since April 25 after comeback win vs. Braves
Written by Luck Wilson on September 2, 2021
For the first time since May 30, the San Francisco Giants are not in first place in the NL West. The Giants’ loss to the Brewers (MIL 5, SF 2) combined with the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Braves (LA 4, ATL 3) moved the Dodgers into first place Wednesday. The Dodgers are a half-game up in the division and they now have baseball’s best record at 85-49.
Here are the best records in baseball following Wednesday’s action:
- Dodgers: 85-49
- Giants: 84-49 (1/2 GB)
- Rays: 84-49 (1/2 GB)
- Brewers: 82-52 (3 GB)
- Astros: 78-44 (6 1/2 GB)
The Dodgers received six shutout innings from Max Scherzer on Wednesday, but needed to rally against the Atlanta bullpen to secure the win. With two outs in the eighth inning Justin Turner and AJ Pollock pulled ground ball singles through the left side of the infield to tie the game and give the Dodgers the least, respectively.
Kenley Jansen and Blake Treinen were unavailable due to their recent workloads, so Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to Joe Kelly to protect the one-run lead in the ninth and he retired the side on 10 pitches. Wednesday’s win is the 20th in the past 24 games for the Dodgers. They were five games back in the NL West as recently as Aug. 13.
As for the Giants, they erased a two-run deficit in the fifth inning against Brewers reliever Justin Topa, but Milwaukee retook the lead on Jace Peterson’s two-out, two-strike single in the seventh. They added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth and the bullpen made the lead stand up. The Giants have lost four straight games and five of their last six games.
San Francisco spent 93 consecutive days in first place prior to Wednesday, and their 119 days in first place overall are the second most in baseball this season (the White Sox have spent 120 days in first). Los Angeles is in sole possession of first place for the first time since April 25. They’ve spent only 25 days atop the NL West this year.
The Giants and Dodgers will wrap up their season series with a three-game set at Oracle Park this weekend (Sept. 3-5). The season series is currently dead even with eight wins and 68 runs scored for each team.
KVSP