The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants met Friday night for the fifth time in the last nine days. San Francisco took three of four in a back-and-forth series at AT&T Park last weekend.
The series opener at Dodger Stadium, played on Jackie Robinson Day, pitted Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner against one another for a second time this season. Kershaw threw eight innings, allowed two runs and had five strikeouts in the previous matchup.
Bumgarner tossed six frames, allowed one run and had eight strikeouts, working himself out of trouble on multiple occasions. Neither left-handed ace received a decision in the Dodgers’ extra-innings win on April 9.
In facing a left-handed starter, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts again stacked his lineup with a bevy of right-handed batters; Adrian Gonzalez represented the lone left-handed bat.
Kiké Hernandez, who started in left field and hit leadoff, crushed Bumgarner’s first pitch for a solo home in the bottom of the first inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Then in the third inning, Hernandez jumped on a 2-0 pitch for another towering solo shot:
With the bases loaded in the fourth, Hernandez pulled Bumgarner’s first offering for a two-run double inside third base. The Dodgers’ utility man finished Friday a career 10-for-16 against Bumgarner, with four doubles, three home runs and five RBIs.
