By Morris Phillips

The Dodgers weren’t satisfied with just scoring two runs a game.  They let Tim Lincecum know as much pretty quickly on Monday night.

The National League’s top ranked offense took a vacation last week at AT&T Park, scoring just two runs in each game, a series that went to the Giants in a sweep.  But on a still, warm night at Dodgers Stadium, and against the rejuvenated Lincecum, the Dodgers’ offense jumped back into character.

Los Angeles knocked the two-time Cy Young award winner around, compiling eight hits in four runs in just four innings against Lincecum, then raced away with an 8-3 victory over the Giants.

The combination of Lincecum’s off night and the Dodgers’ aggressiveness at the plate showed from the start as the pitcher escaped jams in the first and second innings, only to allow four runs and five hits in the third.

Last Tuesday in San Francisco, Lincecum picked up the win against the Dodgers, allowing five hits and a run in six innings of work.  According to him, the Dodgers changed their approach this time.

“They took a little different approach on me and I just didn’t counter it as well as I should have,” Lincecum said.

“They did a great job of taking what I was giving them.”

Gone were the three double play balls that eased Lincecum through last week’s encounter with the Dodgers.  And they were replaced by aggressive, swinging early in the account as well as the advantageous conditions for hitters at Chavez Ravine.

The Giants were well aware of those conditions after batting practice, and their lineup, including Andrew Susac and Justin Maxwell, was supposed to trigger a big night of offense against Brett Anderson.  But the Giants didn’t breakthrough until the fifth against the former Athletic, scoring three times.  But that was it, as the Los Angeles bullpen shut down the Giants the rest of the way.

Anderson was lifted by manager Don Mattingly with two on and two outs in the fifth, but Carlos Frias came on to get the Dodgers out of the inning.  After Frias, the Giants saw Adam Libatore, Kimi Garcia and Chris Hatcher, who all threw heat and allowed just one hit combined.

Meanwhile, the Giants’ bullpen—in particular, Yusmeiro Petit—melted down.  Petit allowed three runs on two hits in the eighth, when the Giants still had hope of slicing into a 5-3 deficit.

The Dodgers won at home for the eight consecutive time, and increased their NL-leading home run total to 28 after Joc Pederson homered in the sixth and pinch-hitter Justin Turner connected with a three-run blast in the eighth.

The Giants, on the other hand, have lost three of four since their momentum-swing against the Dodgers last week.

On Tuesday, the rematch of pitching titans take place at 7:05pm with Madison Bumgarner facing Clayton Kershaw.  Bumgarner and the Giants squeezed past the Dodgers last week, winning 3-2.