If not for Kiké Hernandez, the Los Angeles Dodgers wouldn’t have had much reason to cheer in a 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Hernandez made multiple impressive catches in right field and drove in the Dodgers’ only run with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
The Giants pounced on Kenta Maeda early, with Buster Posey’s two-out double in the first inning sparking a rally. Brandon Belt worked a walk, and Evan Longoria then landed the big blow with a three-run home run.
In the third, Posey worked a two-out walk and scored on Belt’s double to center field. To Maeda’s credit, he did manage to limit the Giants after that point. Gregor Blanco was stranded after leading off the fifth inning with a triple.
Maeda scattered five hits, walked four and finished with three strikeouts in his six innings of work. However, he was bested by Ty Blach, who again dominated the Dodgers.
After allowing a one-out single to Cody Bellinger in the second inning, Blach retired eight in a row. The string was snapped, coincidentally, by Bellinger’s leadoff double in the fifth. However, nothing came of it as Austin Barnes struck out and Kyle Farmer lined into an inning-ending double play.
Chris Taylor’s double with one out in the sixth is what finally led to the Dodgers breaking through against the southpaw, thanks to Hernandez’s single. Matt Kemp followed with a base hit of his own, but both runners were stranded Yasmani Grandal.
Blach was removed after allowing a leadoff single to Max Muncy in the seventh inning. Muncy replaced Bellinger at first base in the bottom of the sixth, though Bellinger remained in the dugout and did not appear to come out due to injury.
Joc Pederson slapped an RBI single into left field off Sam Dyson before the Giants reliever managed to get out of the inning. Tony Watson worked around Corey Seager’s leadoff single in the eighth, and Hunter Strickland closed the game out with a perfect ninth inning.
Blach improved to 4-2 with a 1.86 ERA in 10 career games against the Dodgers. That’s in stark contrast to his 7-13 record and 5.14 ERA against all other clubs.
