Pirates, LaRoche surge past L.A.

The Dodgers entered the game having won 14 of 16.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam LaRoche hit a grand slam among his two homers and the Pittsburgh Pirates stalled the Los Angeles Dodgers’ late-season surge with an eight-run seventh inning rally that keyed a 15-8 victory Wednesday night.

Ryan Doumit, who drove in four runs, hit a go-ahead, two-run homer as nine consecutive batters reached base in the seventh after reliever Scott Proctor retired the first two batters, only to be lifted.

Los Angeles had bounced back to tie it in the top of the inning after trailing 7-4.

The nightmarish seventh inning was one of the Dodgers’ few blips during a late-season run in which they won 14 of 16, enabling them to gain nine games in the NL West standings in 19 days and open a 41‚Ñ2-game lead over Arizona. The Diamondbacks played the Giants later Wednesday.

Doumit’s 14th homer came off rookie left-hander Scott Elbert (0-1), who didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced, and Andy LaRoche’s two-run single — only his fourth hit in 35 at-bats — made it 11-7.

Andy LaRoche was traded by the Dodgers during the three-team deal July 31 that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles.

Pinch-hitters Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels also had run-scoring hits against Jason Johnson, and first baseman James Loney’s two-run throwing error finished off Pittsburgh’s biggest inning this season.

The Pirates, losers of 30 of their previous 43, had scored eight runs or more in a game only twice in 46 games.

John Grabow (6-3) got the win despite giving up Angel Berroa’s RBI double in the top of the seventh.

LaRoche’s third career grand slam put the Pirates ahead 7-4 in the fifth and followed his solo shot the inning before, with his two drives off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley giving him five RBIs. Billingsley failed to win his fourth in a row, allowing eight hits and seven runs in 42‚Ñ3 innings.

The Pirates’ final 12 runs scored after there were two outs and nobody on base.

LaRoche, as usual, is crowding most of his season’s production into the final three months. After hitting below .200 for most of April and May, LaRoche has 16 of his 22 homers in his last 65 games. He is hitting .375 in September with eight doubles, four homers and 21 RBIs in 14 games.

The Dodgers outhit Pittsburgh 18-15, but ran themselves out of innings several times.

First baseman Nomar Garciaparra, playing in only his 50th game this season, reinjured his left knee while attempting to score from second on a two-out single in the fifth inning. Garciaparra pulled up between third and home in at attempt to get back to third, only to be tagged out.

Berroa was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple in the seventh.