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By Jon Weisman

On an 0-2 sinker leading off the bottom of the sixth, Yasiel Puig sent a shot to right field, clearing the fence as smoothly as the bat flipped from his hand, to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

One out later, a Matt Kemp double to right center knocked Giants starter Tim Hudson out of the game. Hudson pitched his best ball in several starts, ultimately lasting 5 1/3 innings and allowing five hits and a walk while fanning four.

Giants lefty Javier Lopez entered and, in a move that was odd for a couple reasons, walked Hanley Ramirez intentionally. It’s always been bizarre to make a reliever start his outing with an intentional walk, and though it gave the Giants the platoon advantage, it brought up one of the Dodgers’ top hitters of the second half in Carl Crawford.

On the next pitch, Crawford ripped a double down the right-field line, scoring both Kemp and Ramirez to give the Dodgers a zesty 4-1 lead.

Then, after missing a home run by a sliver on a drive to left, Juan Uribe knocked a singled to left, pushing the Dodger lead to a bold 5-1.

A.J. Ellis hit into an inning-ending double play, but the Dodgers moved forward, leading by four with three innings to go to a National League West title.