ESPN MLB

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Shawn Green broke out of his slump in a big way.

Green hit a tying, two-out home run in the ninth inning and doubled in the 12th to set up Eric Karros' go-ahead single as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-6 Saturday.

Green was in a 9-for-41 skid over his past 10 games before going 4-for-6 with two homers and a double. He drove in three runs and scored three times.

"Everyone hopes that this win can get us going on a good stretch,'' he said.

Los Angeles had lost four of five, cutting its lead in the NL wild-card race.

After Cesar Izturis drew a leadoff walk from David Coggin (2-3) in the 12th, Green followed with a double. Karros hit a two-run single with the bases loaded and one out.

The Dodgers ended Coggin's shutout streak at 20 1/3 innings.

Eric Gagne (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings. Paul Quantrill worked the 12th for his first save, retiring Mike Lieberthal on a grounder with a runner on second to end it.

Lieberthal had already hit a pair of two-run homers.

"This was a great win and it came at a time when we really needed it,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. "To win this ballgame today was extra special.''

Karros echoed his manager.

"We needed it as bad as any we've had all year,'' he said.

With the Phillies leading 6-4, reliever Terry Adams got the first two outs in the ninth before pinch-hitter Dave Hansen singled. Plesac was brought in to face Green and set up a lefty vs. lefty matchup.

After a checked-swing ran the count full, Green homered off his former Toronto teammate for his 30th of the season.

Phillies manager Larry Bowa thought that Plesac had Green struck out on the check swing, but plate umpire Mike Everitt ruled it outside and third-base umpire Joe West ruled no swing.

When asked if he thought it was a strikeout, Bowa said, "yes on the pitch and on the swing. We didn't get the call.''

Green also hit a leadoff home run in the third.

"The (first) home run was big because it relaxed me,'' said Green, who was 9-for-41 in the last 10 games. "I hope this is a sign of things to come.''

Until Green's tying homer, Joe Roa was in position to pick up his first major league victory since June 14, 1997, when he pitched for San Francisco and beat Anaheim.

The 30-year-old righty pitched five innings, giving up three runs and six hits. Roa had been 14-0 with a 1.86 ERA for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before being called up on July 11, and had lost his only decision for the Phillies.

Kazuhisa Ishii continued to struggle for the Dodgers.

Ishii, who started the season with six straight wins and had a 10-1 record on June 8, has gone 1-5 in his last eight starts. He went five innings, giving up five runs, on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

The Dodgers scored two in the first but could have had more. David Roberts led off with a single and then scored on a double by Marquis Grissom. Adrian Beltre hit an RBI single, but Los Angeles left the bases loaded.

Philadelphia answered with three in the bottom of the first. Placido Polanco and Pat Burrell doubled and Lieberthal hit a two-run homer.

A leadoff home run by Green tied it at 3 in the third, but Lieberthal hit another two-run homer in the bottom half.

Los Angeles pulled to within a run when Alex Cora's double scored Karros in the sixth off reliever Carlos Silva. Ricky Ledee hit his third pinch-hit homer of the season in the bottom half.

Game notes

Roa doubled in the second for the first extra base hit of his career. ... Jimmy Rollins made his first start batting in the sixth spot for the Phillies. ... Dodgers opponents have scored in the first inning in five of the last eight games.