TORONTO (Interstat) — In a tense, back-and-forth affair that defied pregame projections, the Toronto Blue Jays rallied late to snap a three-game skid and hand the Los Angeles Dodgers just their third loss of the season with a 4-3 victory Wednesday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

A crowd of 37,766 watched as the Blue Jays, after being outscored 19-3 in the first two games of the series, clawed back from a late deficit to improve to 5-7. The Dodgers, who entered with the best record in the National League at 9-3, saw their four-game winning streak end.

The most critical juncture of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trailing 3-1 and held in check for six innings by Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani, the Toronto offense erupted against the Los Angeles bullpen. Pinch-hitter Davis Schneider worked a leadoff walk from reliever Ben Casparius. After a flyout, Tyler Heineman singled to center, setting the stage for George Springer. The veteran designated hitter delivered a pivotal double to right field, scoring Schneider and cutting the deficit to 3-2.

Casparius was replaced by Blake Treinen, but Daulton Varsho greeted him with a game-tying single to center, plating pinch-runner Myles Straw. A walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. loaded the bases, but Treinen escaped further damage with a strikeout and a forceout, leaving the game knotted at 3-3.

Toronto completed the comeback an inning later against Casparius, who took the loss and fell to 0-1. Schneider walked again, advanced to third on a single by Andrés Giménez, and scored the decisive run on a productive groundout by Brandon Valenzuela.

The late rally overshadowed a stellar pitchers’ duel for much of the evening. Dodgers two-way star Ohtani turned in a dominant performance on the mound, scattering four hits over six innings while allowing just one unearned run. He struck out two and walked one. The lone blemish against him came in the third inning, when a walk to Varsho and a two-out, RBI double by Jesús Sánchez gave Toronto an early 1-0 lead.

He was matched for five innings by Toronto’s Dylan Cease, who was the top star for the Blue Jays. Cease, looking to rebound from a rough outing in Chicago five days prior, overpowered the Dodgers lineup, striking out eight while allowing one run on four hits. His only mistake was a fourth-inning RBI single by Freddie Freeman that scored Will Smith, who had reached on an error and a stolen base.

Los Angeles methodically built its lead. They tied the game in the fourth on Freeman’s single, went ahead 2-1 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Teoscar Hernández, and added an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single from Smith. That 3-1 advantage, however, would not hold.

The Toronto bullpen quartet of Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Mason Fluharty and Jeff Hoffman sealed the win with 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Rogers earned the win, improving to 1-0, after recording five outs. Hoffman worked a nervous ninth for his second save, stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runners on base after allowing a single and a walk. He ended the game by getting Max Muncy to ground out.

The Dodgers, who had been installed as 1.5-run favorites with a 58% win probability by statistical models, finished with six hits. Smith led the way, going 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. Freeman added two hits and an RBI.

For Toronto, Springer and Guerrero Jr. each had two of the team’s eight hits, with Springer’s double proving the catalyst for the comeback. The total of seven combined runs went under the pregame over/under line of 7.5.

The victory provides a measure of momentum for the Blue Jays as they prepare to open a three-game series at home against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. The Dodgers continue their road trip with an off-day Thursday before beginning a three-game set against the Texas Rangers in Los Angeles on Friday.