Scioscia Home Run in the Ninth Gives Dodgers a 4-3 Win

Mike Scioscia hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning as the Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3, Friday night in the first game of a doubleheader between the National League division leaders.

In a possible preview of next month’s playoffs, the Dodgers blew a two-run lead in the eighth and came back to win for the sixth time in seven games. Bobby Bonilla drove in all three runs for the Pirates, who lost for only the second time in 10 games.

Scioscia’s one-out homer was his fifth this season and the first run allowed at home by Stan Belinda (4-5) in 21 innings since May 23.

Ramon Martinez, who left with a 3-1 lead in the seventh, settled down after a shaky start and retired 13 in a row at one point.

The Pirates, who swept a two-game series at Dodger Stadium last week, quickly tied the game in the eighth off John Candelaria on a force-play grounder, Andy Van Slyke’s single and Bonilla’s two-run double.

Roger McDowell (7-8) was summoned to relieve Candelaria and intentionally walked Barry Bonds, putting runners on first and second with one out. But Bonilla was thrown out trying to steal third base on a two-strike pitch as Steve Buechele struck out.

Martinez, 1-2 with a 4.60 earned-run average in five career starts against Pittsburgh, gave up a run-scoring grounder to Bonilla in the first inning. The Dodgers went ahead in the second inning on Mike Sharperson’s RBI single and Scioscia’s run-scoring grounder and made it 3-1 in the fourth on Juan Samuel’s RBI single.