Narrow victory for the Dodgers

Grady Little waited until he spoke to Jeff Kent to post the lineup Monday.

James Loney said he didn’t know if Kent would play. Russell Martin said the same.

One day removed from being hit by a pitch on the ear flap of his helmet, Kent not only started at second base but keyed the Dodgers’ two rallies in their 5-4 comeback victory over the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium.

Kent, who was beaned by John Maine in a win over the New York Mets and endured an overnight cross-country flight with his teammates, drove in the first of the Dodgers’ two runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly.

His sixth-inning single was the first of four consecutive Dodgers hits in a three-run inning that erased a two-run deficit and allowed them to remain 3 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres in the wild-card race.

Kent was short on words before the game, responding to a question on how he felt with a question of his own: “Any other questions?”

Said Little: “He’s a tough man. “The guy’s a baseball player. This guy’s a run-producing baseball player.”

Said Loney: “I thought he might be able to play tonight but that Grady would want to rest him anyway. It’s definitely a great sign. He wants to play.”

Kent is stepping up at a time when the Dodgers admitted to being increasingly conscious of the calendar.

Of winning three of six games against the playoff-contending Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets on the preceding trip, Little said, “It cut down a week and time is precious to us right now, so I guess when you say that, it might have hurt a little bit.”

The Dodgers couldn’t gain any ground on San Diego, but picked up a game on the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost to the Padres on Monday. The Dodgers trail the Diamondbacks by 5 1/2 games.

“When there are so many teams involved in the race, if a team wins or loses, it doesn’t really matter,” Martin said.

Time was precious to the Dodgers in more than one way Monday.

The Dodgers’ flight back from New York didn’t land at LAX until past 3 a.m., with some players saying they didn’t get to bed for another three hours.

“I wish I had another hour,” said closer Takashi Saito, who shook off the cobwebs to earn his 35th save.

Said Juan Pierre: “All that was fuzzy last night.”

Pierre was two for four and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. He also stole his 52nd base, the most by a Dodger since Steve Sax stole 56 in 1983.

The player who most betrayed his usual form was the one player who was sent home early on Sunday to get a full night’s sleep -- pitcher Derek Lowe.

Lowe gave up home runs to Dmitri Young, Wily Mo Pena and Ryan Zimmerman, turning a 2-0 lead into a 4-2 deficit.

The three home runs were the most given up by Lowe in a game in more than two years.

Lowe gave up four runs in six innings, but the Kent-led surge came in time to improve his record to 11-11.

“It’s the baseball gods’ way of paying him back a bit,” Little said, referring to the poor run support Lowe received early in the season.

Saddled with the loss was Mike Bascik (5-8), best known for giving up Barry Bonds’ 756th home run.

Pena hit his two-run blast for the Nationals in the second just two pitches after fouling a ball off his left foot. After homering he limped around the bases and didn’t return to the game.

X-rays were negative and Pena is listed as day to day because of a bruised foot.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com