Make that six walk-offs for Andre Ethier this season.
Ethier found a way to be a hero again, hitting a two-run homer with one out in the 13th to beat the Pirates, 5-4. That came a few innings after Matt Kemp's RBI single off of closer Matt Capps tied the game at three in the ninth.
The good news continues, as the Rockies were once again manhandled by the Giants, 10-2. The lead in the NL West is now up to five games over the Rockies and remains at 7 and 1/2 over the Giants.
Randy Wolf made his return to the mound after skipping a start with a hyperextended elbow. He did a good job with seven innings pitched, five hits, three runs, two walks, and five strikeouts. The Dodgers will welcome that line with open arms.
Wolf did run into trouble in the second. Lastings Milledge walked with one out, and Steve Pearce hit a two-run homer to left to make it 2-0.
Now you may be asking yourself - Who's Steve Pearce? The answer? I have no idea. He's basically another young player in a long line of them that the Pirates churn out there. I guess when you trade away all of your veterans, you may as well see which youngsters can play.
Anyway, Ronny Cedeno followed that up with a double. Now with two outs, Zach Duke hit an RBI single, and the Pirates were up 3-0.
It took until the fifth for the Dodgers to make some noise. Kemp led off with a double, which helped get the bats on a roll. Casey Blake tripled him home to slash the lead to 3-1. A sac-fly RBI by Mark Loretta, playing first base for James Loney against the lefty, made it 3-2.
You've got to somewhat feel for Pirates' fans, as they got a great start by Duke, a couple of big outs by Jesse Chavez, and gave the ball to their closer Capps. Normally that would be a recipe for success in the majors, but the Pirates of course found a way to screw it up.
Russell Martin began the ninth by popping up. Ethier then stroked a double, so there was hope with Manny Ramirez coming up. But, Manny also popped up for two down. No need to worry, as Kemp's RBI tied the game at three each.
Moving ahead to the 13th, the Pirates appeared to put the game away. Andrew McCutchen reached on an error by Blake, which is something I rarely say. Eventually, Ryan Doumit hit a soft single to score him, and it was now 4-3.
Like they've done so dramatically this season, the Dodgers came back. Now facing Chris Bootcheck, Rafael Furcal hit an infield single to lead off. After Martin flied out, lefty Phil Dumatriat came on to face Ethier.
Ethier's 30th blast of the season added another chapter to his storybook season.
Even if the Pirates are pretty lousy (again), it's always good to get a comeback win like this. This late in the season, every game is magnified even more, so it's all important. Good pitching and clutch hitting can carry a team far in the postseason.
Once Wolf exited after seven, Ramon Troncoso, George Sherrill, Jonathan Broxton, and James McDonald combined to throw the next five innings unscathed. Ironically, it was Ronald Belisario who picked up the win, despite giving up the go-ahead run in the 13th. Go figure.
With the good times rolling, the Dodgers close this three-game set with the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. Hiroki Kuroda, coming off a masterful start against the Giants, gets the ball. Hopefully he won't have to dodge any balls or broken bats this game. Geez!
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