Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in two runs to go along with spectacular defense in center field and the visiting Chicago Cubs took advantage of three Los Angeles Dodgers errors in the eighth inning to rally for a 6-3 victory on Tuesday.
The Cubs scored five times in the eighth when the Dodgers had throwing errors from catcher Austin Barnes and center fielder Tommy Edman as well as a fielding error from Enrique Hernandez.
Shota Imanaga (13-3) kept Chicago in the game, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk.
As in Imanaga’s previous start, a combined no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 4, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge followed him with one scoreless inning apiece. Hodge registered his fifth save with help from a clutch catch by Crow-Armstrong.
Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki each had three hits and an RBI for the Cubs (75-70), who are four games behind the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets in the chase for the final National League wild-card spot.
Tommy Edman hit two home runs and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto had eight strikeouts in his return from a shoulder injury as the National League West-leading Dodgers lost for the fourth time in their past six games.
Max Muncy also hit a home run for the Dodgers, whose lead over the second-place San Diego Padres fell to 4 1/2 games.
Leading 3-1 in the eighth inning, the Dodgers lost their way on defense. Barnes’ throwing error on a Dansby Swanson ball in front of the plate put a second runner aboard with no outs. Suzuki singled to center for a run, and Swanson scored as well on Edman’s errant throw back to the infield, tying the score 3-all.
Chicago took a 4-3 lead on a Michael Busch fielder’s choice, with Hernandez making an error on the play. Hoerner then hit an RBI double, and Crow-Armstrong’s groundout drove in the final run.
Edman hit home runs in the second and fourth innings to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. They were Edman’s first home runs in a Los Angeles uniform after a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals in late July.
Muncy gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning with his 13th of the season.
The Dodgers had a runner on third with two outs in the ninth when Crow-Armstrong ended the game by taking a home run away from Muncy. Crow-Armstrong made two other sliding catches in right-center.
Evan Phillips (3-1) gave up four runs, all unearned, in the eighth inning to take the loss.
Yamamoto, in his first major league start since June 15, allowed one run on four hits and no walks in four innings.
–Field Level Media