Derek Lowe won despite giving up three homers, Ramon Martinez hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly and the Los Angeles Dodgers gained ground in the NL West with a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

Los Angeles closed within 5 1/2 games of division-leading Arizona and remained 3 1/2 games back of San Diego in the wild-card race.

The Los Angeles Dodgers trailed 4-2 before they scored three runs in the sixth inning, capped off by Martinez's sacrifice fly.

Lowe (nyse: LOW - news - people ) (11-11) gave up three homers in a game for the first time in more than two years. The right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out five and walked one for his third consecutive win.

Takashi Saito pitched the ninth for his 35th save in 38 chances.

Mike Bacsik (5-8) allowed three consecutive singles to open the sixth, with all three runners scoring. The left-hander gave up five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings, struck out two and walked two in his second start since rejoining the rotation last week after being demoted to the bullpen.

Russell Martin and James Loney had consecutive RBI singles in the sixth that tied it at 4. Then Martinez's fly ball to center gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 lead - their first since the first inning.

The Nationals, who lost their fourth in a row, took a 3-2 lead in the second on homers by Dmitri Young and Wily Mo Pena, who had a two-run shot. Lowe gave up hits to four of the first five batters he faced in the inning.

Pena homered after fouling the ball off his left foot on the previous pitch. He winced in pain hobbling around the bases, then left in the bottom half and was replaced by Ryan Church. Pena was diagnosed with a contusion on his foot and is day to day.

The Nationals extended their lead to 4-2 in the fifth with Ryan Zimmerman's 20th homer on the first pitch from Lowe.

Notes:@ CF Juan Pierre stole his 52nd base in the first, the most by a Dodger since Steve Sax swiped 56 in 1983. ... The Nationals lost their sixth in a row to the Los Angeles Dodgers dating to last season. ... Lowe gave up three homers in a game for the first time since Aug. 16, 2005, against the Atlanta Braves. ... Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton, the franchise leader in wins with 233 and now a broadcaster for the Nationals, threw out the first pitch.

 

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