LOS ANGELES -- The final rivalry series of the season at Dodger Stadium got off to a thunderous start. The Giants went back-to-back in the first inning Monday night and the Dodgers answered with their own back-to-back shots.
It turns out that was just the appetizer.
A night after the Dodgers walked off the Giants on Tuesday, the Giants returned the favor Wednesday night. Wilmer Flores hit a two-run homer off closer Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth and Tyler Rogers closed it out as the Giants reached 60 wins with a thrilling 4-2 victory.
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There was pain on both sides over the course of 24 hours, and it turns out that's unprecedented in a rivalry that stretches back more than 2,500 games. According to Stats Perform, this was the first time in the modern era that the teams exchanged ninth-inning comebacks on back-to-back nights.
While the actual moments may have been surprising, the overall back-and-forth shouldn't be. The Giants and Dodgers look like the two best teams in the National League, possibly all of baseball, and both have gotten to this point in part because of their resilience.
The Giants are 6-2 after walk-off losses and have embraced a "next man up" approach while dealing with an onslaught of injuries. The Dodgers have had their own hurdles, though.
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Given how well the Giants have played for four months, it's pretty impressive that the Dodgers are two back despite missing Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger for most of the season, and losing three members of their opening day rotation (Dustin May, Trevor Bauer and Clayton Kershaw). The Dodgers were without Mookie Betts (hip) on Wednesday and Justin Turner (knee) was limited to one at-bat.
Neither team looks like it's going to fade, setting up a heavyweight battle through the end of September, with the Padres lurking. The Giants certainly like their chances.
"There's a lot of games left and a lot of work to do, but tonight kind of just showed the type of team that we are and the type of resiliency that we have as a group," said starter Logan Webb, who contributed five strong innings. "I don't think that's going away. It's just fun, it's fun to watch and fun to be around. That's all I can really say about it, because every day it's fun. It's a great group of dudes."