Top of the fourth inning San Francisco Giants hitter Mike Yastrzemski slugs a home run in front of Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Fri Sep 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

San Francisco Giants (77-77) sluggers Mike Yastrzemski, Thairo Estrada and Tyler Fitzgerald all hit home runs in game two of this series on Friday night. They held the Los Angeles Dodgers (94-59) to five hits and a single run winning the game 5-1.

This game was scoreless through three innings but it was San Francisco that put two runs up on the board in the fourth inning. Mike Yastrzemski knocked a two-run homer with Joc Pederson on base for the 2-0 lead. San Francisco would add to their lead in the sixth inning with a second home run, this one off the bat of Thairo Estrada for a 3-0 lead.

The Giants defense held the Dodgers until the bottom of the eighth when Los Angeles attempted a rally that came up way short. Freddie Freeman singled James Outman home but that would be all that the Dodgers could manage.

San Francisco would belt another home run in the ninth inning. Tyler Fitzgerald had a two-run homer with Marco Luciano on base and the Giants had taken a 5-1 lead and that would be the final. The Fitzgerald home run was his first career long ball giving the Giants the insurance they needed to nail down this win.

The Giants had eight hits in this game and San Francisco pitcher Sean Manaea went seven innings allowing three hits, no runs and two strikeouts. This was Manaea’s first win over the Dodgers. Manaea has the only two wins on the Giants current road trip. He gave up a hit to Miguel Rojas in the third inning but then retired 11 batters in a row in a terrific appearance on the mound.

This win brought the team back to .500 ending their three game skid. The Giants had not been below .500 since June 5th. This was a badly needed win for San Francisco in the crowded NL wild-card race.

Post game notes: Thursday night the Giants lost to the Dodgers amid a host of crazy errors. The Giants were able to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning but that was about it for San Francisco. Wild pitches along with an unbelievable error by right fielder Mike Yastrzemski and another from Wilmer Flores gave the Dodgers a real leg up.

After losing the series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Giants find themselves in a precarious situation. Hopes of a wild card berth are quickly fleeting, they won Friday night but they must continue stringing wins. The Reds, Marlins, and Diamondbacks all lost Friday but San Francisco still remains in the sixth spot three games back in the wild card race with the San Diego Padres hot on the Giants trail.

This rivalry will continue on into the weekend with games three and four. Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday. The Los Angeles Ace has a 12-4 win/loss record and a 2.52 ERA. A starter for the Giants is still undecided at the time of this post. First pitch for game three is scheduled for 6:10 PM in another must win for San Francisco.