Dodgers rally for two runs in ninth to defeat Angels, 3-2

Matt Kemp took the Freeway Series off road Sunday afternoon, sprinting directly from the dugout to the dirt near second base.

Once the Dodgers center fielder reached Tony Gwynn Jr., he embraced his teammate and playfully wrestled him to the ground before others arrived to join in the celebration of an improbable comeback.

“From there, the fists starting hitting my ribs and my back,” Gwynn said, “but you don’t even feel it.”

Perhaps that’s because Gwynn had delivered the knockout blow moments earlier. With two out in the ninth inning and the winning run at second base, Gwynn belted a Jordan Walden fastball to right field for the single that completed the Dodgers’ 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Angels at Dodger Stadium.

It took a pair of ninth-inning runs, including one that scored on a controversial play at the plate, for the Dodgers to end a six-game home losing streak against their Southland rivals and avoid falling into a tie for last place in the National League West.

“You’re always looking for that spark,” Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said. “Hopefully today’s the day.”

Things had looked bleak for the Dodgers in the top of the ninth, when Vernon Wells hit a two-out solo home run off Clayton Kershaw. The Angels led, 2-1, and Kershaw (8-3) faced the possibility of picking up a loss despite outlasting counterpart Jered Weaver and pitching a complete game.

“You go from the bottom to the top real fast,” said Kershaw, who gave up two runs and struck out 11. “Definitely a big swing of emotion.”

It started with Juan Uribe, who is hitting .205, drawing a walk on a full count. Pinch-runner Dee Gordon then stole second base one pitch before Walden (1-2) walked Dioner Navarro to put runners on first and second with nobody out.

Jamey Carroll put both runners in scoring position with a sacrifice, but Walden, whose fastballs touched 100 mph, appeared to have the upper hand on pinch-hitter Aaron Miles when he got Miles to swing and miss at a pitch near his feet for strike two.

Miles then hit a fly ball to fairly shallow center field that looked like it might not be deep enough to score Gordon tagging up from third. Peter Bourjos charged forward to make the catch, and his throw reached catcher Jeff Mathis as Gordon slid feet first into home plate.

Even though Mathis impeded Gordon’s path, home plate umpire Tom Hallion called him safe.

“He did a good job of blocking the plate,” Gordon said of Mathis, “but he didn’t tag me.”

Mathis said he didn’t think he budged enough for Gordon to score, a position supported by Angels Manager Mike Scioscia.

“[Hallion] called him safe and he was out,” Scioscia said, “but you can’t hang your hat on an umpire’s call.”

Gwynn sent the crowd of 43,104 home with his second RBI of the game, scoring pinch-runner Trent Oeltjen.

Though the series attendance of 127,852 was the lowest for a three-game Freeway Series at Dodger Stadium since interleague play started in 1997, the ninth-inning volume level was the highest it had been during a homestand in which the Dodgers went 4-8.

“To come back and win the way we did, it’s awesome,” Gwynn said. “It’s fun to be on the bottom of those piles.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com