Dodgers in full swing

This is what the Dodgers lineup was supposed to look like. This is the kind of firepower $230 million was supposed to buy.

With Matt Kemp returning from a month-long stay on the disabled list, the Dodgers’ offense suddenly awakened Tuesday in a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.

If only for a night, the lineup was as formidable on the field as it was on paper, erupting for four runs in a sixth inning to break a 2-2 stalemate. That inning, which was highlighted by a monstrous two-run home run by Hanley Ramirez, allowed them to withstand a ninth-inning meltdown by embattled reliever Brandon League.

Ramirez batted cleanup and was two for four. In front of him were Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez. Behind him were Kemp and Andre Ethier.

“We’re pretty much at full strength,” Manager Don Mattingly said.

Suddenly, the Dodgers were winners of four consecutive games for the first time this season. Suddenly, the last-place team was only seven games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, who fell to the Washington Nationals, 7-5.

Puig was hitless in four at-bats, which on many other nights would have spelled trouble. But Gonzalez was one for four with a run. So was Kemp. Ethier was two for four with a run.

Kemp mistakenly thought this was the first time he and Ramirez had played together this season. This was actually the fifth time, but Kemp couldn’t be blamed for failing to recall that.

Ramirez missed the first month of the season with a broken thumb. He played four games, strained his left hamstring and missed another month. Kemp missed the last month with a strained right hamstring.

Another player who spent time on the disabled list, Mark Ellis, was the first to inflict damage against rookie starter Mike Kickham, as he belted a two-run home run in the third inning to put the Dodgers ahead, 2-0. Kickham, 24, was called up from triple-A Fresno to make his second career start.

Buster Posey, the league’s reigning most valuable player, hit a solo home run off Dodgers starter Stephen Fife in the fourth inning to close the gap to 2-1. The Giants tied the score when Andres Torres grounded out in the fifth inning to drive in Hunter Pence.

But the Dodgers regained control of the game in the sixth inning, as Ramirez smashed a line drive off the left-field foul pole for a two-run home run.

“He hits the ball as hard as anybody,” Mattingly said. “He’s just dangerous.”

Ramirez’s fifth home run was followed by consecutive singles by Kemp and Ethier.

Jake Dunning replaced Kickham at that point to face Tim Federowicz, who singled to left field to drive in a sliding Kemp. Ethier later scored on an errant pickoff throw by Dunning to increase the Dodgers’ advantage to 6-2.

The Giants took back a run in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Brandon Belt.

Still, the Dodgers went into the ninth inning with what appeared to be a comfortable 6-3 lead.

But closer Kenley Jansen was unavailable, as he pitched the last three days. That being the case, Mattingly made the mistake of turning to League. The former closer gave up a leadoff single to Pence, followed by a run-scoring double by Belt, who scored on a single by Torres. The lead was down to 6-5 and League walked off the field to a chorus of boos.

League’s replacement, Paco Rodriguez, gave up a single to Brandon Crawford that put men on first and second.

But Rodriguez forced Juan Perez to fly out to center and struck out Gregor Blanco. With two on and two out, Marco Scutaro drove the ball deep to center field, only for it to be caught by a backtracking Kemp.

“It took a year off my life right there,” Mattingly said.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

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