Category: San Francisco Giants

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

After back-to-back shutouts to open the season, the San Francisco Giants were on the verge of receiving of back-to-back shutouts by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rich Hill pitched five strong innings, and reigning Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger broke out of a season-opening 0-for-11 slump to hit his first home run of the season and the Dodgers defeated the Giants 9-0 to salvage a split of their season-opening four-game series at Dodger Stadium Sunday night.

Following their first two wins of the season, the Giants failed to score over the final 18 innings of the series, while the Dodgers scored 14 runs in the last two games.

Chris Stratton gave up three runs in 5.1 innings, as the Giants became the first team since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles to score no more than two runs in the first four games of the season.

Stratton held the Dodgers hitless until the bottom of the fourth inning, as Corey Seager picked up his first hit of the season, and then Yaisel Puig followed suit with his first hit of the season.

The Giants defense got confused after Hunter Pence caught a fly ball hit by Bellinger for the second out of the inning, with Seager advancing to third base and Puig broke for second. Brandon Crawford then threw to Brandon Belt, and without a throw, Seager scored from third base to break the scoreless tie.

The Dodgers broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Chris Taylor got a hit and then Puig ended Stratton’s night with a double to score Taylor.

Josh Osich came on to replace Stratton, and Bellinger greeted him with an opposite field home run.

Kike Hernandez put the final touches on the evening as he hit a two-run double off of Roberto Gomez in the bottom of the eighth inning.

NOTES: After a day-off on Monday, the Giants open their 60th home season in San Francisco against the Seattle Mariners, as Ty Blach takes the mound against the Seattle Mariners.

Jeff Samardzija will throw bullpen sessions on both Tuesday and Friday, and then will begin a rehabilitation assignment.

There is no timetable for the return of closer Mark Melancon, who is out with an elbow injury.

Photo credit: @DodgersDigest

By Jeremy Kahn

You knew that the San Francisco Giants were not going to go 162-0, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were not going to go 0-162 on the season.

Kenta Maeda struck out 10 over five innings, as the Dodgers scored for the first time and they went on to defeat the Giants 5-0 at Dodger Stadium Saturday.

The fans at Dodger Stadium exploded with ecstasy in the bottom of the first inning, as Yaisel Puig hit a sacrifice fly to score their first run of the season. Matt Kemp hit a RBI single to increase their lead to 2-0.

Kike Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning to lengthen the Dodgers lead up to 3-0.

The Dodgers scored their final two run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Gregor Blanco and Andrew McCutchen miscommunicated on a fly ball that allowed Austin Barnes and Cody Bellinger to score.

Derek Holland pitched five innings, allowing five runs (three of them earned) on three hits, Holland also walked three and struck out four in his Giants debut.

Joe Panik, who solo home runs in the first two games of the season ended the game as he grounded into a double play to end the game and the undefeated season for the Giants.

NOTES: Chris Stratton will make his season debut for the Giants on Sunday afternoon, as he will take the Dodger Stadium mound and the Dodgers will send veteran left-hander Rich Hill to the mound.

Jeff Samardzija threw a side session of 20 pitches, and will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, prior to the Giants home opener at AT&T Park. If all goes well with the session, Samardzija could begin a rehab assignment within a week.

UP NEXT: Both teams meet again Sunday night at 5:38 pm PT on ESPN.

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

Just two days in the 2018 Major League season, San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik made history.

Panik hit a solo home run off of Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth inning, as the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 at Dodger Stadium.

His home run was the only run of the game for the second game, as he became the first player in the 139-year history of Major League Baseball to hit home runs in back-to-back games with the final score of 1-0.

The Giants became the first team since the 1943 Cincinnati Reds to pick-up 1-0 wins in their first two games of the season, as they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 75 years ago.

Johnny Cueto retired the first 18 batters of the game until Chris Taylor led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single. That would be the only baserunner to reach base against Cueto on the evening.

Cueto walked no one and struck out four, as he went seven innings after he threw 97 pitches in his first start of the season.

Former Dodgers reliever Tony Watson struck out two in the bottom of the eighth inning, before giving way to Hunter Strickland, who retired the Dodgers in order that included getting Joc Pederson to pop out to Buster Posey on the first pitch he saw on from Strickland.

It was the second game in a row that Pederson made the final out of the game, as he grounded out to Brandon Crawford to end the opener on Thursday.

Through their first two games of the season, the reigning National League Champions have yet to score a run, while allowing just two runs to their longtime rivals from San Francisco.

If you thought Cueto pitched a great game, the guy across the diamond for the Dodgers was not too shabby either.

Alex Wood pitched eight innings, as he allowed just a base hit to Brandon Crawford in the top of the fifth inning and nothing else.

Wood struck out five and did not walk a batter like Cueto, but it was one pitch by the best reliever in the game that cost the Dodgers the game.

Logan Forsythe, playing at third base in place of the injured Justin Turner, who suffered a broken wrist during spring training, committed three of the four Dodgers errors on the night.

The four errors in a game by the Dodgers are their most in a game since they committed four on August 11, 2013 against the Tampa Bay Rays. In that game, like Forsythe, Dee Gordon committed three errors for the Dodgers.

NOTES: Derek Holland makes his Giants debut on Saturday night, as he takes the Dodger Stadium mound, while the Dodgers will send Kenta Maeda to the hill.

UP NEXT: These two teams face each other again Saturday night at 6:10 pm PST.

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants appeared to have the look of a team that was basically up on a tee for the Dodgers to smack around, particularly on Opening Day.

Someone apparently forgot to tell Ty Blach and the rest of the pitching staff, which combined to shut down the Dodgers Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, 1-0.

Blach went five innings and gave up only three hits to a lineup that was only one game away from winning the World Series, while also striking out three and walking three. From that point, the Giants utilized four relievers, including fill-in closer Hunter Strickland, to keep Los Angeles off the scoreboard for four more innings.

“He’s got a great makeup about him,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We were very confident that he was going to give us a chance to win, which he did. That’s why we picked him to go on Opening Day.”

In the process, Blach got the best of Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who gave up a run on eight hits, walking two and striking out seven.

Second baseman Joe Panik fired the shot that separated the two teams and provided the difference. In the fifth inning, he got an inside fastball from Kershaw and sent it into the seats beyond the short fence in right field for a solo homer.

“That’s what this game is about, it about competing,” Blach said. “I love the opportunity to go up against one of the best in the league. It’s a great opportunity, and I loved every minute of it.”