By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: Less lip more bat flip the Dodgers Yesiel Puig heads to first base on bases on ball walk off San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner in the first inning Saturday at AT&T Park

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Madison Bumgarner appeared well on his way to pitching, and hitting, his way to his second win to open the season, but a blown save by Santiago Casilla turned a 2-1 Giants win into a 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers victory. Bumgarner pitched six innings of one-run ball and homered off Clayton Kershaw, but LA took the game in the 10^th inning on an RBI double from Charlie Culberson.

“In a game like that, you’re hoping to have the lead with your closer out there,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “It just didn’t work out today.”

Bumgarner handed the game over to the bullpen in the 7^th inning with the Giants ahead 2-1. Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland combined to pitch a scoreless pair of innings to turn the game over to Casilla in the 9^th. Casilla, looking for his 2^nd save of the season, allowed a one-out walk to Chase Utley to begin a rough frame. The next batter, Yasiel Puig singled, then Justin Turner was hit by a Casilla pitch to load the bases.

“He had good stuff,” said Bochy of his closer. “The walk got him. Then he had two strikes and left a breaking ball up. Hitting turner didn’t help. Now you’re facing there big guy.

Casilla appeared to coax the game-ending double-play ball out of Adrian Gonzalez, but Kelby Tomlinson struggled to field it and settled for the lone out at first base. To this point, the Giants had played stellar defense, with Matt Duffy committing the team’s first error of the season earlier in the game.

“(Casilla) made some good pitchers,” said Bochy. “We just didn’t turn it.”

Casilla would get out of the inning without surrendering another run, but George Kontos (0-1, 3.00 ERA) would cough up back-to-back doubles to put LA ahead. Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 inning to notch the save.

Saturday’s soggy duel was Bumgarner and Kershaw’s 8^th meeting all time, with the Giants south paw leading in wins 4-2. Bumgarner struck out 8 Dodgers, yielded his lone earned run on a hit-by-pitch while stranding 8 Dodgers over his 6 innings of work. Kershaw would pitch 8 innings, allowing the two earned runs on home runs, but reliever Chris Hatcher (1-0, 3.38) would be the beneficiary for the Dodgers rally, picking up the win.

“I feel pretty good with the results on my end,” said Bumgarner. “It would have been nice to pull that one out, but that’s the way it goes.”

Bumgarner became the first pitcher with multiple homers off Kershaw when he opened up the game’s scoring in the 2^nd inning. Bumgarner took Kershaw’s 93 mile-per-hour fastball and hit it on a line over the wall in left field to become the only player in the majors with multiple dingers against the Dodgers ace since the start of last season. It was the first run Kershaw allowed after a scoreless opening day start against the San Diego Padres.

“My job is to go out there and pitch,” said Bumgarner. “I’m going to go up there and compete when I’m at the plate but I don’t want to get out of what I’m doing out there.”

The opening day starter now has 12 home runs, tying him with the Baltimore Orioles’ Yovani Gallardo for most amongst active pitchers. With Gallardo limited to only interleague play for at-bats, Bumgarner could hold the active lead by season’s end.

The Dodgers worked Bumgarner for a tie in the top of the 3^rd after Kike Hernandez led the frame off with a single. He advance to second on Justin Turners one-out single, then LA loaded the basses on soft single by Adrian Gonzalez. Bumgarner plunked Scott Van Slyke to plate the Dodgers’ first run before punching out Trayce Thompson and A.J. Ellis to end the inning.

“I don’t know that he moved all that much,” said Bumgarner. “You don’t have to. He obviously can’t lean in to it, which he didn’t. It’s unfortunate. A couple inches further away from him and it might have been a different story.”

Bumgarner would not allow a run over his next 3 innings, setting the stage for Adrianza to hit the game-winning homer. Adrianza took Kershaw’s first offering in the bottom of the 5^th, a 92 mile-per-hour heater, and hooked it inside the foul pole in left field for his first homer of the season.

The big fly to give the Giants a 2-1 lead was the shortstop’s 2^nd career round-tripper, with his first coming during his 9-game rookie campaign in 2013. Since the September 22^nd, 2013 at-bat, the utility infielder has had 259 plate appearances between dingers.

The Giants look to win the series, sending Johnny Cueto to the mound. The Giants big pitching acquisition in the offseason will face down one of LA’s, with Scott Kazmir on the bump for the rivalry finale.