Dodgers fight back for a W... with some help

Dee Gordon used his legs to get the Dodgers back into the game in the ninth inning on Sunday.

He also used the help of the boys in blue calling the game.

Two very close calls went the Dodgers' way, as Gordon's steal of second and scamper to home on a sacrifice fly tied the game, and Tony Gwynn's walk-off single gave the Dodgers a victory over the Angels, 3-2. The win closes out the homestand at 4-8.

The game featured a matchup of two stud aces in Clayton Kershaw and Jared Weaver, and boy did they not disappoint. Unless you're a fan of hitting, that is. You can take the opening six frames and throw them out since nobody could score.

The Angels were the first team to break through in the seventh. Erik Aybar led off with a double. Howie Kendrick then lifted a sinking liner to Matt Kemp in center, but Kemp's dive was unsuccessful as Aybar scored to go up 1-0. Playing the ball straight up would have held him at third, but you can't fault Kemp's effort.

In the bottom of the inning, the Dodgers tied it right up. With two down, Kershaw was given the go-ahead to hit, even though this would normally be a pinch-hitting situation. It was the right call from Don Mattingly, as Kershaw singled to keep the inning alive. Gwynn was the leadoff hitter in this game, and he stroked an RBI triple to tie the game.

With the game still deadlocked heading into the ninth, Mattingly stuck with his ace. It worked for two outs, but then Vernon Wells stepped up and deposited a pitch into deep left for a solo homer and 2-1 advantage.

In came closer Jordan Walden, and Juan Uribe greeted him with a walk. Gordon got the day off until this point when he was summoned to pinch-run. With Dioner Navarro up, Gordon took off for second and was called safe on a play in which it looked like he may have slid right off the bag. Navarro then walked to put two on.

Jamey Carroll laid down a great sacrifice to put runners in scoring position with one down. Aaron Miles hit for Kershaw, and on a two-strike count, lifted a fly ball to center fielder Peter Bourjos. As Gordon came home, Jeff Mathis had the plate blocked and Gordon had to slide through him. Once again, it looked like he was out, but instead, was called safe and the game was tied.

Trent Oeltjen ran for Navarro at second, and Gwynn gathered his third hit of the day with a single to left to give the Dodgers a feel-good moment to close out the long homestand.

The Dodgers only won four games in a span of two weeks, so it's not like they can be happy about how they played. They started off by losing five straight to the Reds and Astros, then won three straight, including two of three against the Tigers, then dropped two more against the Angels. They just can't find any sort of consistency.

But, Sunday was a great win in that they had to fight back to win it. Granted, the calls in the ninth could have (maybe should have?) gone against them, but the Dodgers still had to earn this one. It was good to see guys not named Andre Ethier or Kemp do the damage.

Kershaw has battled like crazy all year long, and once again showed why he needs to be one of the top pitchers selected for the upcoming All-Star game. He lasted the whole game for six hits, two runs, no walks, and 11 strikeouts. He's now at 8-3 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. That's just fantastic.

With Gordon's recent struggles at the plate, it was good to see Gwynn get his shot and come through with flying colors leading off. He's only hitting .230 on the season, but has yet to receive any consistent playing time in left. He's certainly been used as a defensive replacement on many occasions, and has done very well in that role. Maybe now that Jerry Sands is in the minors and Marcus Thames has a bad leg, he can get more starts and show what he can do.

The Dodgers have a lot of work to do if they plan on getting back into the race in the NL West, as they remain 9 1/2 games in back of the Giants. They now venture off to Minnesota to play the lifeless Twins, who have tumbled to the bottom of the AL Central with five straight loses. Chad Billingsley will go against Nick Blackburn on Monday.