Brewers one-up Dodgers in dramatics, rally in ninth for 5-4 win

When you’re just rolling along with the best record in baseball, beating up on the weaklings of the National League, it’s not exactly like you’ve been tested every night.

The Dodgers thought they had answered a big test Tuesday night when Andre Ethier hit a two-run homer in the eighth to give them a one-run lead in Milwaukee, but the night’s biggest dramatics were still to come. And they would not come from the Dodgers.

A struggling Javy Guerra blew his first save of the season, giving up a two-run double to pinch-hitter George Kottaras in the bottom of the ninth, as the Brewers snapped the Dodgers’ six-game winning streak with a 5-4 victory.

Until Milwaukee rallied, the Dodgers were poised to hand the Brewers their first loss in 47 games when leading after the seventh. The loss left the Dodgers’ record at 9-2.

Which is, of course, outstanding, just not as outstanding as it seemed when they were one inning away from 10-1 for the first time since 1955.

Chad Billingsley was again sharp, throwing only one poor inning when he gave up a pair of runs in the second on a solo home run by Mat Gamel, a triple to Jonathan Lucroy and an RBI single to Cesar Izturis.

The Dodgers got one run back in the fifth after Juan Rivera led off with a double against Yovani Gallardo. After a James Loney single moved Rivera to third, Juan Uribe popped up to Rickie Weeks in shallow center. Weeks dropped the ball after initially making the catch and was charged with an error as Rivera scored.

The Dodgers tied it in the seventh on doubles by Ethier and Rivera, but the Brewers regained the lead in the bottom of the inning after Gamel singled, stole second and took third on an Izturis single. Pinch hitter Norichika Aoki then sat down a nice suicide bunt to score Gamel.

Then with two outs in the eighth following a Mark Ellis base hit, Ethier unloaded his fourth home run of the season, this one a drive that kept carrying out to right-center.

And it was looking as if the Dodgers would have their best victory of the season.

Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth, but Guerra never looked sharp in the final inning.

Cory Hart led off the ninth for Milwaukee with a single, and after pinch runner Carlos Gomez stole second, Guerra walked Gamel.

Guerra got Lucroy to chase a third strike in the dirt, before Kottaras doubled to right to leave the Brewers celebrating.

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Brewers one-up Dodgers in dramatics, rally in ninth for 5-4 win