Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after Will Smith doubles Shohei home in the bottom of the third inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wed Apr 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (2-5)

Los Angeles Dodgers 5 (7-2)

Win: Tyler Glasnow (2-0)

Loss: Kyle Harrison (1-1)

Save: Dinelson Lamet (1)

Time: 2:25

Attendance: 52,746

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants put up a fight, but Tyler Glasnow shined, and the Dodgers got to a flustered Kyle Harrison for four runs, as they completed their sweep of the Giants with a 5-4 win.

Kyle Harrison, who was coming off a great start in San Diego Friday, made the start tonight, as he looked to be the stopper. Tyler Glasnow made the start for the Dodgers in the first of what is expected to be many matchups between Harrison and Glasnow.

Glasnow started the game with a pair of 1-2-3 innings. Harrison pitched a scoreless inning after walking Mookie Betts, but he did have to throw 17 pitches. 

Harrison struck out Teoscar Hernandez to start the bottom of the second, but he then proceeded to walk Max Muncy; give up a base-hit to Kiké Hernandez; and walk Chris Taylor. That loaded the bases for Miguel Rojas, who hit into a 4-6 fielder’s choice in which Giants second-baseman Thairo Estrada made an impressive behind the back flip to shortstop Nick Ahmed to retire Taylor at second.

The Dodgers had struck first, but the Giants were ready to respond. Glasnow struck Mike Yastrzemski swinging to start the top of the third, and then Patrick Bailey hit a home run to the Pavilion in right field, his first of the year, to tie it up.

However, the Dodgers struck right back in the bottom of the third. Shohei beat out a ground ball to first-baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. after Harrison was late in covering the bag. Freddie Freeman struck out on a foul tip for the first out, but on back-to-back pitches, Will Smith lined a double down the left field line to put the Dodgers back again, and Teoscar Hernandez singled to left-center to knock in Smith and make it 3-1.

Wade walked to start the fourth, as the Giants hoped to bounce back, but Glassnow struck out the side, all looking, on 10 pitches. Harrison retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the fourth, but Miguel Rojas hit a line drive home run to the Dodgers’ bullpen in left to extend Los Angeles’ lead to three at 4-1.

Patrick Bailey singled sharply on the ground up the middle with two outs in the top of the fifth, but Glasnow remained dominant with his fastball. Harrison continued to struggle, as he hit Freddie Freeman to start the bottom of the fifth. However, Harrison bore down, and he induced a 5-4-3 double play from Smith, as well as a fly out to right by Teoscar Hernandez.

Harrison had a rough time tonight, but he hung in there to throw five innings and prevent Bob Melvin from blowing through the Giants’ bullpen. 

The Giants made a game of it in the top of the sixth. Wade walked with one out, and Jorge Soler doubled Wade to third. The Giants had runners at second and third with one out against Glasnow, who was now starting to tire. 

Michael Conforto was now up, and he continued his hot start by lining a single to right to knock in both runners and make it a 5-4 game. Conforto did get to second on a wild pitch to put the tying run in scoring position, but Glasnow got out of it with the Dodger’s lead intact.

Melvin went to Erik Miller in the bottom of the sixth, and Miller continued his impressive start with a 1-2-3 inning. Miller, who is 6’5” tall and weighs 240 pounds, has also very quickly established a dominating presence on the mound.

Joe Kelly came in for the Dodgers and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the seventh. The lefty, Taylor Rogers, came in for the Giants in the bottom of the seventh, and he retired the first two Dodgers. However, Shohei Ohtani was not going to go this whole series without burning the team that tried so hard to sign him over the off-season. 

After the Giants fell short of signing Aaron Judge in December 2022, Judge homered off Logan Webb in his first at-bat on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day last season. It did take Ohtani nine games to hit his first home run this season, but like Judge, Ohtani did it against the Giants after they fell short of signing him, and he made it hurt too with a booming shot to right-center.

Ohtani’s home run was one final act of a real statement series for the Dodgers. Both teams made big free agent splashes over the off-season, but at the end of the day, the Dodgers are a much stronger team. The Dodgers asserted their dominance this entire series, but to the Giants’ credit, they put up a fight, and showed that they can hang in there with the Dodgers.

“We’re not at full strength yet, but [having] two games that you come back and you’re that close against a good team playing really well right now, it’s really nothing to hang your hat on,” said Melvin. “It’s more frustrating than anything else.”

The Giants put up one last fight against the veteran, Daniel Hudson, who succeeded Kelly in the top of the eighth. Soler took Hudson deep for the latter’s second home run in as many nights to make it 5-4, and Michael Conforto came close to tying it, but ultimately flew out to Teoscar Hernandez deep in right.

“You don’t get any prizes for close, so we gotta dig a little harder.” said Melvin.

Tyler Rogers came in for his brother Taylor, and pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and Dinelson Lamet closed out the Giants with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Glasnow got the win with his strong performance; Harrison the loss; and Lamet the save.

“To get swept is not a great feeling,” added Harrison. “We’re gonna be back to the drawing board, and we’re going to be ready for these guys next time we come out. It gives us that much more motivation to want to get them.”

The Giants fall to 2-5, and they will now head back home to San Francisco for the Home Opener against the San Diego Padres on Friday afternoon. Jordan Hicks will be on the mound for the Giants, and first pitch will be at 1:35 p.m.

News and Notes:

• Blake Snell threw a simulated game prior to tonight’s game at Dodger Stadium, as he prepares to make his Giants debut next Monday against the Washington Nationals.

“This was important for him,” said Melvin. “I really do believe that he needed to face some big league hitters, and I know he felt much better about what he needs to do and where his stuff is facing this type of opponent.”