Hyun-Jin Ryu completed six innings in a second consecutive start, but the Los Angeles Dodgers once again failed to provide run support, and lost to the National League-worst San Francisco Giants, 2-1. The loss was the Dodgers’ sixth straight at AT&T Park.
Matt Cain fired six shutout innings on an efficient 70 pitches. He allowed just two hits, walked one and recorded three strikeouts. Cain retired 11 in a row after Corey Seager’s one-out single in the first inning.
He was removed with an apparent injury while warming up for the seventh inning. At that point the Giants were clinging to a 1-0 lead. They were denied a run in the bottom of the first when Yasiel Puig threw a strike to home plate to nail Brandon Belt on his attempt to score on Buster Posey’s single.
The Giants managed to manufacture a run in the second inning, however, beginning with a Brandon Crawford leadoff double. He advanced to third base on a groundout and scored on Joe Panik’s sacrifice fly.
Ryu didn’t retire the Giants in order until the fourth inning, then did so again in the fifth. He navigated trouble in the sixth, stranding runners at the corners after allowing a pair of singles in the inning.
Ryu allowed just the one run, five hits, walked one and struck out three. It was the first time in four starts this season he did not surrender a home run.
Steven Okert and George Kontos picked up where Cain left off, combining to throw a 1-2-3 seventh inning by retiring Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal and Puig. Adam Liberatore entered in the bottom of the seventh for his first action with the Dodgers this season.
He retired the first batter faced, then allowed a base hit to Panik and walked Drew Stubbs. Josh Fields replaced Liberatore and gave up a two-out RBI single to Hunter Pence before getting out of the inning.
Derek Law struggled a bit in the eighth, walking Chase Utley to start the inning. Utley moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and Kiké Hernandez’s bloop single put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Christian Arroyo, the Giants’ top position-player prospect, made a terrific stop but pinch-hitter Chris Taylor beat the double play attempt. A run scored on the force out at second base, but the inning then ended when Taylor was caught stealing with Seager at the plate.
Sergio Romo entered in the bottom of the eighth to pitch as a visitor at AT&T Park for the first time. The Giants played a tribute video for their former reliever earlier in the game. Romo worked around a walk and single to keep the Dodgers within a run.
Justin Turner singled with one out in the ninth and later advanced to second base on a wild pitch, but was picked off second base and Mark Melancon converted the save opportunity.
