Roger Arrieta
SAN FRANCISCO—The Dodgers had the lead four different times in the series opener at San Francisco and they coughed it up on all four occasions. The inability to hold on to the lead eventually led to a 10-8 loss in 10 innings. The loss ends Los Angeles’ 5-game win streak and is also their first extra-inning defeat of the year.
The Dodgers had a 3-run lead after the first inning and watched the Giants tie the game in the bottom of the inning. LA took a 6-3 lead in the third and saw San Francisco chip away at the deficit, culminating in a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers took a 1-run lead in the top of the 10th, only to be matched by the Giants in their half of the inning. LA grabbed another 1-run lead in the 11th before a Donovan Salon 2-run blast gave the Giants the 10-8 victory.
The good news for the Dodgers on the night is that the Padres also lost so LA retains their 4-game lead in the NL West. Los Angeles is now 22-9 on the year which is still the best record in MLB. The Giants win for the seventh straight time and are now 15-16 on the season.
GAME RECAP: The teams traded 3-run home runs in the first frame to combine for six runs on the scoreboard before the cardboard cutouts even had a chance to take their seats. Max Muncy drilled a 423-foot blast into the right-center stands that scored Corey Seager and Justin Turner. Brandon Belt tied the game in the bottom of the frame when he connected on a fastball on the first pitch of his at-bat and pounded it 429 feet into the center field seats.
Los Angeles doubled their run total in the third inning. Corey Seager launched a 3-2 fastball deep over the center field fence and then Turner scored on a Johnny Cueto wild pitch. Joc Pederson capped the Dodgers’ regulation scoring when he hit a double down the left field line which scored Cody Bellinger.
The Giants started their second comeback trail with a single run in the fifth when Belt doubled home Evan Longoria from first base after Longoria led off the inning with a single to center. San Francisco made the score 6-5 in the seventh. They loaded the bases with no one out and then rookie catcher Joey Bart grounded into a double play that scored Longoria. The second 3-run rally was finished off when Belt hit a 1-out, solo homer off of Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the ninth.
The game got unusual in extra innings. Turner started the 10th inning on second base – after making the final out of the ninth. Bellinger struck out to lead off the inning and then Muncy walked. Turner scored during the next at-bat to AJ Pollock. Giants’ reliever Jarlin Garcia threw a pitch that crossed up Bart behind the plate. The ball hit off of Bart’s shoulder and rolled behind him. Turner seized the opportunity to break for third on the possible wild pitch. Bart found the ball and tried to hurry a throw down to third base to get Turner but his throw sailed towards second base and into the outfield. Turner was able to get up and run home to stake LA to their third lead of the game at 7-6.
San Francisco tied the game at 7-7 wit two outs in the bottom of the 10th when No.9 hitter Mauricio Dubon chopped a grounder down the third base line which Turner dove to stop. Unfortunately, he was unable to get up and get Dubon at first and Bart scored from third.
The Dodgers took a 9-8 lead in the 11th inning on another strange play that involved Turner. Will Smith was the runner placed at second. Mookie Betts struck out to start the 11th and then Smith advanced to third on a Seager ground out. Turner fouled off a 3-2 fastball from ultra-submarine style pitcher Tyler Rogers and then hit a swinging bunt towards the right side of the infield on the very next pitch. Rogers came off the mound towards first base to field the ball and Belt charged from his first base position to try and pick up the slow roller as well. Rogers was first to the ball so he scooped it up and attempted to dive towards first and tag Turner as he was running by. Rogers’ dive attempt was too early and Turner was able to tip-toe over the top of Rogers after Rogers had already hit the ground. The 44-mph base hit allowed Smith to score and gave LA their fourth lead of the game at 9-8. The game was won in the bottom of the inning when Longoria singled home Mike Yastrzemski from second with one out and then Solano hit his second HR of the season on a 2-1 off-speed pitch from Dennis Santana.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
A GIANT PAIN: The Dodgers are 18-5 against MLB teams not located in northern California. However, they are now 4-4 vs. the team in black and orange. Los Angeles and San Francisco split the opening series of the year and then LA took two of three from San Fran on Aug. 7-9. The win by the Giants on Tuesday evened the season series with only two games left between the teams in the regular season. The Dodgers held a 12-7 margin over the Giants in the 19 games between the teams in 2019.
WHY DON’T YOU JUST GO HOME? ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME? Neither team was very successful in driving home runners when they were in scoring position on Tuesday. The Dodgers and Giants combined to go 6-for-39 (.154) with runners in scoring position. LA was 3-for-17 (.176) while SF was 3-for-22 (.150).
SHORT STINT FOR JULIO: It was another short stint for Dodgers’ starter Julio Urías. Urías lasted 4.0 innings, gave up four runs on six hits and struck out six. It was his second straight start, and third in the past four outings, where he has failed to get out of the fifth inning. Urías had his ERA jump to 3.67 in his six starts and now has a 1.410 WHIP.
STOP, TURNER TIME: Turner continued his hot stretch at the plate. He led the Dodgers’ 12-hit attack by going 4-for-6 and scoring three runs. The four base knocks are a season high for Turner and one shy of his career mark of five which he had last season against Pittsburgh. Turner has now reached base safely in 18 straight games and is hitting .290 for the year.
SEASON-HIGH HIT TOTAL 2: Bellinger also records a season-high hit total on Tuesday. He was 3-for-6 and has hit safely in six straight games. He has multiple-hit games in three of the last six and is now hitting .225 for the year.
BIRTHDAY BOY BASH: Muncy’s home run in the first inning was his eighth of the year and fourth in the last nine games. It also came on his 30th birthday.
MR. 999: Betts came through with a single to left in the ninth for his only hit of the night. That hit pushed his career total to 999.
ON DECK: Clayton Kershaw will look to put an end to the Dodgers’ 1-game losing slide when he climbs the hill in San Francisco on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. Kershaw has rekindled the form of 2014 when he won the Cy Young award. Kershaw is coming off a dominant 7.0-inning performance at Seattle where he struck out 11 and only allowed four hits and one run. Kershaw owns a 2.25 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP in 2020. However, Kershaw’s only loss of the year came against the Giants on Aug. 8 when he went a season-low 4.1 innings and allowed four runs. Kershaw is 13-5 with 1.57 ERA and a 0.831 WHIP in his career at Oracle Park (AT&T Park). Kevin Gausman will get the call for the Giants. He is 1-1 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.290 WHIP this season. Gausman has faced the Dodgers twice this year and LA has won both of those games.
