The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants renewed their rivalry Tuesday night for the first time since mid-June. The three-game series at Dodger Stadium began with the Dodgers holding a one-game lead in the National League west division.
Pitching on six days’ rest, Kenta Maeda worked around a Denard Span leadoff single to throw a scoreless first inning. Madison Bumgarner retired the first two batters faced before allowing the Dodgers to mount a two-out rally.
It began on a Corey Seager double and continued with Justin Turner’s RBI single. Adrian Gonzalez knocked a base hit into center field, but he and Turner were stranded by Yasmani Grandal.
After Maeda retired the side in order in the second, Rob Segedin led off the bottom half of the inning with a line-drive home run to left field.
The homer was Segedin’s second in as many games, and came on the heels of his first career home run. The Giants answered back in the third after a leadoff single, one-out walk, and passed ball out two runners in scoring position.
Angel Pagan’s flare single cut the Dodgers’ lead in half, and Buster Posey’s two-out RBI base hit tied it.
Seager and Turner again had success against Bumgarner, combining for back-to-back one out singles in the bottom of the third. Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Maeda issued a pair of walks in the fourth, but was aided by the Giants running into an out on a double steal attempt. Bumgarner was then called out on strikes to end the inning with the Dodgers still leading.
After Pagan’s one-out single in the fifth and a wild pitch, Belt’s RBI double tied the game at 3-3. Maeda fell behind in the count, 3-0, to Crawford and intentionally walked him with two outs.
Maeda prevented any further damage by striking out Hunter Pence on his 103rd pitch of the game. Kiké Hernandez led off the bottom of the fifth with a single but was replaced on the bases when Howie Kendrick hit back to the box for a force out.
Seager fouled off several pitches in a plate appearance that ended on a full-count walk. The Dodgers had some luck on their side as Nunez failed to make the barehanded play on Turner’s slow roller to third.
Gonzalez delivered with the bases loaded, hitting a two-run single just out of the reach of Crawford’s outstretched arm. Nunez hit a comebacker off Jesse Chavez’s leg to reach on an infield single in the sixth.
He then stole second base, and advanced to third on a groundout to the right side. Pinch-hitting for Bumgarner, Ehire Adrianza pulled an RBI single into shallow right field.
Pinch-hitters Chase Utley and Andrew Toles did damage against the Giants’ bullpen, hitting a single and RBI double, respectively. Hernandez added an RBI single, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 7-4 before the sixth inning came to an end.
Joe Blanton tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning, complete with back-to-back strikeouts after a Pagan lineout. Blanton retired the two batters faced in the eighth, then handed the ball over to Kenley Jansen, who needed all of one pitch to finish off the inning.
After Josh Reddick drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, Toles lined a two-run homer off the top of the wall in right field. Jansen remained in the game in the ninth inning and gave up a two-out solo home run before closing out the Dodgers’ 9-5 victory.
