Photo credit: @SFGiants
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO–You never know what you are going to see in a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and this game was the epitome of that statement.
Pedro Baez committed a balk when he tripped on the mound that allowed Gorkys Hernandez to score from third base, as the Giants came back from a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Dodgers 6-4 in the opener of the four-game series before a sellout crowd of 41,936 at AT&T Park Friday night.
Hyun-Jin Ryu helped out his own cause, as he drove in two with a two-run double down the left field line.
Yasmani Grandal cut the Giants lead in half, as he doubled in Matt Kemp, who walked just prior to the Grandal double.
After a Cody Bellinger walk, Yaisel Puig tied up the game with a double down the left field line and it looked like Bellinger was going to score; however, a fan down the line touched the ball and Bellinger was forced to stay at third base.
Kyle Farmer then struck out for the first out of the inning, and then Ryu took a Holland pitch down the left field line to score both Bellinger and Puig.
Ryu went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, not walking a batter and struck out seven; however, he did not fare in the decision.
It was a different story for Holland, who was pulled after the Ryu double. Holland went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits, walking four and striking out four. Like Ryu, he did not fare in the decision.
Things looked for the Giants after they took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Evan Longoria hit a long solo home run to straightaway centerfield and then three batters later, Brandon Crawford deposited a Ryu offering onto the arcade.
Brandon Belt extended his hitting streak up to nine games, as he legged out an infield single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Belt went to second on a Tony Cingrani wild pitch, but was then thrown out at third base by Kike Hernandez, who threw to Kyle Farmer for the first out of the inning.
Crawford then walked, and then Hernandez got the Giants within one run, when he singled in Austin Jackson.
Tomlinson then took a Cingrani offering and doubled into left field to tie up the game, and then most bizarre play of the night took place, when Baez fell off the mound, for a balk to give the Giants the lead for good.
Joe Panik then extended the lead up to 6-4, as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Tomilnson from third base.
Former Dodgers reliever Tony Watson came on in the top of the eighth, and despite giving up two hits that put runners on first and second with one out, he was able to get out of the jam, when both Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes flew out to Hernandez for the last two outs of the inning.
NOTES: Chris Stratton will take the mound in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, while the Dodgers have not decided on a starter.
Stratton became a father on Wednesday night at 11:53, as his wife Martha Kate gave birth to a daughter named Mary Bennett and she weighed in at eight pounds, four ounces and 20 inches long.
Johnny Cueto will take the mound in the second game, as he looks to improve to 3-0 on the season, while Alex Wood will go for the Dodgers, as he still looks for his first win of the season.
This is the first doubleheader between the Giants and Dodgers since September 27, 2003, where the Giants and Dodgers split the twin bill at AT&T Park.
Mac Williamson, who crashed into the wall near the Giants bullpen in the game on Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals was placed in the concussion protocol.
The Giants improved to 10-3 on the season, when they score first.
UP NEXT: The Giants play a doubleheader Saturday with Game 2 at 1:05 pm PT and Game 3 at 7:05 pm PT.
