Eduardo Rodriguez powers Diamondbacks, as Arizona clinches first season series over Dodgers since 2018

The Arizona Diamondbacks put together a statement pitching performance Sunday, getting seven solid innings from Eduardo Rodriguez and a timely, first-inning swing from Ketel Marte to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2. The result meant more than one game in the West. Arizona also clinched its first season series win over the Dodgers since 2018, an accomplishment that reflects how much the teams have traded punches in recent years.

Rodriguez’s day set the tone. In the series finale, he limited Los Angeles to two runs and five hits while striking out nine in his time on the mound. The Diamondbacks built an early cushion and then played with the advantage, turning Rodriguez’s control and command into a win that looked particularly clean through the middle innings.

Arizona’s first big moment came early. Marte hit a two-run home run off Justin Wrobleski in the first inning, putting the Diamondbacks ahead and giving them a lead they could manage the rest of the way. It was the kind of early strike that forces an opponent to chase instead of dictating at-bats.

The Dodgers did have an answer at the other end of the scoreboard, but Arizona’s lead stayed close enough to keep the game tense without ever fully swinging to Los Angeles. The Diamondbacks’ offense added insurance later, and the pitching staff finished the job when the margin required precision.

In the ninth, Kevin Ginkel worked a perfect inning to secure Arizona’s victory. The save marked Ginkel’s first of the season, according to the game recap, and it capped a performance that combined starting pitching efficiency with bullpen execution.

The context for Arizona goes beyond this single matchup. The preview notes that the Dodgers snapped a seven-game losing streak with an extra-inning win over Arizona Saturday, but Sunday’s loss marked a further turning point for Los Angeles. The Dodgers, who were described as leading the National League West, lost three straight series for the first time since the 2025 late-summer stretch.

For Arizona, the payoff is a season-series milestone against a division standard-bearer, achieved with a mix of rotation output and timely power. For the Dodgers, the concern is the inability to sustain momentum after the earlier relief win, with the team now dealing with a prolonged patchwork of outcomes that extends across multiple series.

What to watch next is how both clubs respond to the swing in the matchup. For Arizona, the key will be whether it can carry the pitching-and-power blueprint from this series finale into its immediate schedule. For Los Angeles, the focus will be on regrouping quickly after consecutive series losses, especially if the broader September push requires consistency rather than recoveries. (Game details based on the Yahoo Sports recap.)