Bullpen Meltdown: Brewers Shock Dodgers in Ninth-Inning Heist

LOS ANGELES — Just when the Dodgers thought they had this one in the bag, the Brewers flipped the script in the most chaotic way possible.

Jake Bauers — a Huntington Beach kid, no less — delivered the knockout punch with a two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth, and Milwaukee stormed back from a 4-2 deficit to stun the Dodgers 5-4 on Thursday night.

The win didn't just feel big. It kept the Brewers alone atop the National League standings, two games clear of LA, who had been rolling after shaking a seven-game skid.

Diaz's Night Goes Off the Rails

Let's talk about the ninth. The Dodgers handed a two-run lead to Edwin Diaz, the highest-paid closer in baseball. It did not go well. Four straight one-out singles — including RBI knocks from Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell — and just like that, the Brewers had tied it up.

Diaz's numbers are getting ugly. He's now blown saves in three of his last four appearances, and his ERA has ballooned to a painful 11.57.

Alex Vesia came in to try to put out the fire, but Bauers bounced a single through that allowed Chourio to scamper home with the go-ahead run.

Muncy Made History — Then It Got Wasted

Before the meltdown, Max Muncy was the story. Pinch-hitting in the sixth, he crushed a three-run homer — a 426-foot missile to center — to become the all-time home run leader at Dodger Stadium. That was No. 131, breaking Eric Karros' franchise mark.

Roki Sasaki grinded through six innings, allowing four hits and five walks, including two bases-loaded free passes in a messy fourth. Shane Drohan was solid enough for Milwaukee, yielding three runs on three hits and three walks before exiting in the sixth.

From there, DL Hall threw two scoreless innings, and Trevor Megill nailed down a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.

Oh, and Freddie Freeman? He didn't take a night off after his scary fall into the visitors' dugout Wednesday. He went 0-for-3 with a walk. Tough as they come.

The Brewers came into this one fresh off being swept by the Padres. Now they're walking out of LA with a statement.

Up next: The Dodgers send Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound Friday against Robert Gasser in what should be another heavyweight showdown.