Tag: Los Angeles Dodgers

The San Francisco Giants Thairo Estrada slides after a LeMonte Wade Jr ninth inning single at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thu Jul 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

LOS ANGELES—Kenley Jansen might be public enemy number one in the Los Angeles area.

For the second straight game, the Los Angeles Dodgers closer blew a save in the ninth inning. This time it was a four-run rally by the San Francisco Giants in a 5-3 comeback win over their division rival on Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium.

San Francisco won the series taking three out of the four games. They are now three games up on Los Angeles in the National League West with the Dodgers four back in the loss column. The Giants finished 4-3 on their road trip.

The ninth inning consisted of a lot of drama and controversy that left the Dodgers irate at the end of the game.

With two outs and William Flores on first after a one-out single, Donovan Solano hit a double over the head of Cody Bellanger to centerfield. Jason Vosler worked a walk to load the bases. Thairo Estrada hit a ball to the left side where shortstop Chris Taylor threw to second base for the force out. The Giants challenged the call and it was overturned as Vosler clearly beat the throw thanks to his good lead off of first and hustle toward second base.

“”You don’t see it mean so much to a win as you did tonight”, said Giants manager Gabe Kapler regarding Vosler keeping the game alive. “I thought it was the most important play of the game.”

Darren Ruff, who came into the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch where he appeared to not have checked his swing. First baseball umpire Ed Hickox ruled no swing on the appeal and that not only allowed the tying run to score but sent Dodgers manager Dave Roberts into one of his best temper tantrums of his career as he was ejected from the game for a second straight night.

“There are lot of people that are pissed off, and I’m leading the way,” Roberts said after the game.

Lamont Wade Jr. played the hero role with a two-run single right after to give the Giants an improbable victory.

Buehler continued to his mastery of the Giants batting lineup even though it ended in a no decision for him. He pitched seven and a third innings holding the Giants to one run on five hits while striking out nine and walking just one.

In four starts this season versus San Francisco, Buehler has allowed only three earned runs in 27 innings.

Anthony DeSclafani, who hasn’t had any personal success against Los Angeles, pitched one of his best games against his nemesis going six innings and giving up three earned runs on six hits while striking out seven with only one walk.

“I think he got stronger as the outing went on. The ball he threw to Will Smith is probably one he’d like to have back. But other than that, I thought he pitched a good game. And I thought he was going toe to toe with (Walker) Beuhler, who also pitched an excellent game,” Kapler said.

The Giants (61-35) drew first blood early in the first inning. After a Lamont Wade Jr. leadoff double that followed with him stealing third base, Mike Yastrzemski hit a sacrifice fly to left field for a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers (59-39) answered back in their half of the first inning with three straight singles off DeSclafani to even the score at one.

Los Angeles took the lead in the fourth inning when Will Smith smashed a two-run home run halfway up the bleachers in left center fielder off of DeSclafani. Smith’s 13th home run of the season was his second in the series against San Francisco.

Jake McGee pitched the bottom of the nine and earned his 20th save of the season.

GAME NOTES: For the first time in the series, the Giants did not hit a home run.

UP NEXT: The Giants return home on Friday 7/23 to host a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:45pm at Oracle Park.

San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores connects for a ninth inning two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

The San Francisco Giants nearly had company atop the National League West, until a ninth-inning rally off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen extended their long stay on top of the heap.The Giants won 4-2, maintaining their 2-game lead over Los Angeles. A sellout crowd of 52,076 was on hand at Dodger Stadium.

With San Francisco trailing 2-1 going into the top of the ninth inning, Buster Posey led off with a pinch-single. Wilmer Flores followed with a two-run home run to left off Jansen.

Jansen struck out Mike Yastrzemski, but Darin Ruf doubled and walks to Donovan Solano and Thairo Estrada loaded the bases with one out. Jansen was booed off the mound as left-hander Victor Gonzales came on. Gonzales fanned Lamonte Wade Jr., but walked Curt Casali for the fourth San Francisco run. Yastrzemski opened the scoring with a first-inning solo home run, his 16th.

Jose Alvarez (3-1) was the winning pitcher in relief, throwing a perfect eighth. Tyler Rogers recorded his 11th save, and Jansen (1-3) was tagged with the loss.

The Giants and Dodgers wrap up their series on Thursday night at Chavez Ravine. Anthony DeSciafani (10-4, 2.78) starts for San Francisco, facing the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler (10-1, 2.37)

Los Angeles Dodger Will Smith (16) reaches home to the entire Dodgers bench to greet him after hitting a three run in the bottom of the ninth inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles against the San Francisco Giants on Tue Jul 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Will Smith came off the bench to pinch-hit for former San Francisco Giants reliever Jimmy Sherfy, and he ended it with one swing of the bat.

Smith hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers to a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

Tyler Rogers came onto get the save for former Dodgers starter Alex Wood, but Rogers walked both Chris Taylor and Matt Beaty and then Smith ended it with one swing of the bat.

The Dodgers took an early 1-0 lead, as nemesis Max Muncy singled off of Wood in the bottom of the first inning to score Taylor.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the lead would not last long, as Alex Dickerson hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

It was the ninth home run of the season for Dickerson, and then an inning later, LaMonte Wade, Jr., also hit his ninth home run to extend the Giants lead up to 3-1.

Thairo Estrada hit a solo home run and then Mike Yastrzemski added a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning, as the Giants broke the game wide open after they took a 6-1 and it looked Like the Giants were on their way to another victory and extending their lead in the National League West up to three games.

Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell the reigning World Champions that the game was lost, as Taylor hit the first of his two home runs that cut the Dodgers deficit down to 6-2 against their longtime rivals.

Austin Barnes then cut the Giants in half in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he doubled to left field that scored the speedy Cody Bellinger.

Taylor hit a two-run home run later in the inning that got the Dodgers within one run, and that was the score when Smith hit his walk-off home run that gave the Dodgers a dramatic win over the leaders in the NL West.

Wood, who was in line for the win, as he went the required five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out seven ended up with a no-decision.

John Brebbia gave up a two-run home run to Taylor, as he went 0.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking zero and striking out two.

The duo of Jarlin Garcia and Jake McGee pitched a combined 2.1 innings, allowing a hit and a striking out and held the lead for Rogers, who walked two and then gave up the game-winning three-run homer to Smith and the series was even after two games with two to go.

Darien Nunez started for the Dodgers, and lasted just two innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking one and striking out two before giving way to Josiah Gray.

In his major-league debut, Gray pitched four strong innings, allowing four runs on four hits, walking one and striking out seven.

Garrett Cleavinger and Joe Kelly got the Dodgers thru the seventh and eighth innings unscathed, as they struck out three before Dave Roberts gave the ball to Sherfy, who struck out two in the top of the ninth and picked up his second win of the season when Smith launched that three-run home run into the Los Angeles night that gave the reigning World Champions a huge victory.

NOTES: With three more home runs on the night, the Giants have now hit 141 home runs on the season, tying them with the Toronto Blue Jays for the most home runs in the major leagues.

When the Giants and the Dodgers each went back-to-back in the top of the first inning on Monday night, it was the first time in the history of the rivalry that both went back-to-back in the first inning. According to STATS, LLC, it is only the second time in major league history that two teams hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and the last time it happened was on July 29, 2004, when the Oakland As and the Texas Rangers accomplished the feat at the Ballpark in Arlington.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb looks for his fifth win of the season on Wednesday night, as Julio Urias goes for his 13th win of the season for the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers Max Muncy (right) turns on a San Francisco Kevin Gausman pitch for a solo home run in the third inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Tue Jun 29, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

There is a new nemesis within the longtime rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and lo and behold, he also used to play for the Oakland As.

Max Muncy, who once told said to former Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, if you want the ball, If you don’t want me to watch the ball, you can go get it out of the ocean,” after he hit a home run into McCovey Cove, which is actually San Francisco Bay and not the Pacific Ocean.

Muncy was up to his old tricks again, as he hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third, helping the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Giants at Dodger Stadium and completing the sweep in a short two-game series and sending the Giants to their third straight loss.

Chris Taylor got the Dodgers on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as he hit an opposite field double to right field off of eventual losing pitcher Kevin Gausman that allowed both Muncy and Justin Turner to score for the reigning World Champions, who are just 1.5 games behind the Giants for the lead in the National League West.

Walker Buehler pitched the first 6.2 innings for the victorious Dodgers, as he allowed just one run on three hits, walking one and striking out seven, as he raised his record to 8-1 on the season.

It was a tough loss for Gausman, who fell to 8-2 on the season, as he went 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on three hits, walking five and striking out four, before he gave way to the bullpen that kept the Dodgers off bases. The trio of Jose Alvarez, Zack Littell and John Brebbia did not allow a Dodgers batter to reach base, as they struck out three over the final three innings.

Steven Duggar continued his hot hitting, as he doubled the only run of the game for the Giants, when he doubled off of Buehler that allowed Wilmer Flores to score.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen got into a jam in the top of the ninth inning, as he hit Alex Dickerson, then walked Buster Posey; however, Jansen was able to regroup to get Brandon Crawford on a called third strike, with a perfect slider over the plate, then Flores popped out to Gavin Lux for the second out and then Jansen nailed down his 20th save of the season, as he struck out Duggar swinging to end the game.

This is not the last time that the two rivals will see each other, as the Giants will travel to Dodger Stadium for the final time for a four-game series beginning on July 19 and then the Dodgers travel to San Francisco a week later for a three-game series and then Labor Day weekend.

NOTES: Prior to the game, the Giants recalled Thairo Estrada from Sacramento and optioned Mauricio Dubon to Sacramento.

With the sweep, the Dodgers ended the Giants 10 series streak, where they either won or spilt, as they went 7-0-3 during the run. The last team to win a series over the Giants, who swept the Giants at Oracle Park from May 21-23.

This Is also the first time since that series sweep by the Dodgers over the Giants at Oracle Park that the Giants have lost three in a row.

After picking up two hits in the opener, Buster Posey now has 88 hits at Dodger Stadium, good for second most by a Giants player since the ballpark opened in 1962, only trailing Willie McCovey who picked up 95 hits while playing for the Giants.

UP NEXT: After a day-off on Wednesday, the Giants begin a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night at Chase Field.

San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali has been clutch at the plate and done a fine job filling in for catcher Busty Posey during the Oakland series. Here is Casali in a photo from earlier this season. (photo from Around the Foghorn)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, Curt Casali is the talk of the town and thanks to his handy work the Giants are the first team in the big leagues to reach 50 wins.

#2 Casali on Saturday slugged a tenth inning RBI double during Saturday’s game for the Giants in their 6-5 win he’s been clutch when filling in for catcher Buster Posey whose out with injury.

#3 Morris, Giants manager Gabe Kapler says that Casali is a pretty selfless individual and has served the team, the pitchers, and Buster well.

#4 During the series the Giants on Friday got great pitching out of starter Johnny Cueto who threw a 2-0 shutout and the Giants clipped the A’s 6-5 in a ten inning nail biter on Saturday and those are the types of teams the Giants need to beat as the A’s are one of the winningest teams in the American League.

#5 Morris, It’s Monday Night Baseball tonight and the Giants are headed to LA to face their rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. This will be the second consecutive time the Giants have played in LA without the Dodgers coming to San Francisco for a brief two game series at Oracle Park. The Giants and Dodgers have not announced a starter for tonight’s game.

Join Morris Phillips for the Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Monday

The San Francisco Giants Mauricio Dubon connects for a two run home run in the top of the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles Sun May 30, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

After being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers last weekend at Oracle Park, and then losing the opener on Thursday night, people were probably thinking, this season will change immediately.

Fortunately for Giants fans it changed in a good way, as the Giants scored three runs in the top of the first inning, with the big blow, being a two-run home run by Mauricio Dubon and the Giants hung on late to defeat the Dodgers 5-4 at Dodger Stadium. With the victory, the Giants won three out of four in the series and are now a season-high 13 games over .500.

Flores, who hit his third home run of the season hit the first pitch he saw from Clayton Kershaw and planted it off the left field foul pole. It was the second career home run for Flores against Kershaw, and both home runs hit the left field foul pole at Dodger Stadium.

The first Flores home run came on September 6, 2019 off of Kershaw, and joins Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Austin Slater as Giants who have multiple home runs off of Kershaw.

Los Angeles area native Evan Longoria, who grew up in Downey before going to Cal State Long Beach drove in the first Giants run of the afternoon, as he grounded out to Gavin Lux to score Slater.

When the Giants scored three runs off of Kershaw in the first inning, it marked the first time that they scored three or more against him in the first inning.

Slater joined that club with Posey, Bumgarner and Flores as players who have hit two or more home runs against Kershaw, as he hit his seventh home run of the season over the center field in the top of the third inning.

Kevin Gausman continues to show why he is now the ace of the Giants pitching staff, as he went six innings, allowing just two hits, walking no one and striking out seven on his way to his sixth win of the season against zero losses.

Gausman also helped himself out at the plate, as he drove an opposite field single to left field in the top of the fourth inning that scored Dubon to lengthen the Giants lead up to 5-0.

The right-hander will get an MRI on his hip, that has been an issue for a few weeks and felt it on the base hit and then again on the great play that ended the sixth inning.

It was a tough day for Kershaw, as he went six innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out six and allowed two home runs, as his record fell to 7-4 on the season.

Things were rolling for the Giants, as they entered the bottom of the eighth inning, when new nemesis, Max Muncy hit a two-run home run off of Zack Littell to narrow the Giants lead down to 5-2.

It was the fifth home run for Muncy in a single-season six game span versus the Giants, as he joins Paul Lo Duca in 2001, and Reggie Smith (2 overlapping spans), this according to Sarah Langs on Sports.

The home run for Muncy was the 100th career home run of his career, and he his third home run of the series.

Jake McGee closed it out for the Giants, as he picked up his 12th save of the season, despite the fact that he allowed a two-run home run to Albert Pujols, as the future Hall-of-Famer hit a ball that landed in the Dodger bullpen.

It was the eighth home run of the season for Pujols, and the 670th home run of his career, as he fifth on the all-time list, 26 behind Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time list.

McGee also committed a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth inning, as his throw on a Cody Bellinger dribbler that saw Lemonte Wade, Jr., unable to stay on first base.

After Bellinger reached Lux struck out, but then Pujols cut the Giants lead down to one; however, McGee was able to strike out Will Smith looking and then Austin Barnes, who tied up the game on Friday night came up with a chance to tie up the game again, but he flew out to Mike Yastrzemski in right field to preserve the Giants win.

NOTES: Caleb Baragar was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 29) with left shoulder inflammation) and Nick Tropeano was recalled from Sacramento.

By scoring the 11 runs on 16 hits, it was the most runs at Dodger Stadium since September 14, 2013, when they scored 19 runs and picked up 22 hits in a 19-3 victory and it was the 10th win of the season for Tim Lincecum.

The Giants improved their record in day games to 15-6, tying the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in the majors in day games.

UP NEXT: Johnny Cueto opens up the home stand against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Monday afternoon, who will send Dylan Bundy to the mound. Cueto is looking to improve his record to 4-1 on the season, while Bundy looks for his first win of the season, as he is 0-5.

The San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski goes in for the slide as teammate Wilmer Flores (41) gives him the slide sign while Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith waits for the throw and plate umpire Manny Gonzalez prepares to make the call (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Wilmer Flores returned to the San Francisco Giants lineup and was looked fantastic in doing so against a tough pitcher.

Flores went 3-for-3 with a run batted in and two runs scored, as the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-6 at Dodger Stadium.

In his first at-bat against Julio Urias, as he led off the top of the second inning, Flores singled and then eventually the first Giants run of the afternoon, Mauricio Dubon hit a two-run single that gave the Giants the lead for good against the defending World Champions.

Flores then led off the top of the third inning with his second single in as many at-bats and then scored, when Donovan Solano hit a two-run home run to increase the Giants up to 5-2.

The Giants broke the game wide open in the top of the fourth inning, as Mike Yastrzemski doubled off of Urias with two outs in the inning, then Evan Longoria started his big day, as he singled to right field that scored Yastrzemski and Longoria then advance to second base on a fielding error by Dodgers catcher Will Smith.

Longoria then scored the second run of the inning, when you guessed Flores came up to pick up his third hit in as many at-bats that stretched the lead up to five runs.

After Flores drove in Longoria with his third single of the day, the Dodgers began to chip away at the Giants lead, as Max Muncy once again went deep, as he hit his 12th home run of the season deep into right-center field bleachers.

Albert Pujols, who just missed giving the Dodgers an improbable come-from-behind victory, when his home run was robbed when Mike Tauchman reached over the wall to take away what would have been his 668th home run got some revenge, as doubled to left field to score Cody Bellinger, who returned to the Dodgers lineup after missing the last two months due to a broken leg.

The Giants extended the lead in the top of the seventh inning, as Steven Duggar hit a two-run double that scored Lamonte Wade, Jr. and Brandon Crawford.

Longoria picked up his second hit of the day in the top of the eighth inning, as he hit his eighth home run of the season into the left-center field bleachers.

Dubon drove in his third run of the afternoon, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Solano for the Giants final run of the afternoon.

After missing out on a home run on Friday night, Pujols hit his seventh home run of the season and second as a member of the Dodgers that landed in the Dodger bullpen.

Justin Turner gave the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as he doubled off of Logan Webb that scored Gavin Lux.

Webb went five innings, as he returned to the rotation after being activated from 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain.

In those five innings of work, Webb allowed two runs on one hit, did not walk a batter and struck out seven and won for the fourth time on the season.

On the other side of things, Urias, who picked up his first ever win at Oracle Park in his last start this past Sunday, was knocked around by the Giants, as he went five innings, allowing seven runs on a career worst 11 hits, walking two and striking out five and saw his record fall to 7-2 on the season.

Despite going 2-for-4 at the plate and scoring three runs, Solano committed his first two errors of the season that helped the Dodgers score an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning.

Matt Beaty reached on a fielding error by Solano and Zach McKinstry reached on a fielders choice that saw Beaty go to third base, when the McKinstry ball went through the legs of Solano. Urias helped out his own cause, as he dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt that scored Beaty from third base.

NOTES: Prior to the game, the Giants activated both Flores and Webb, who both came up huge for the Giants on Saturday afternoon. To make room for the duo, the Giants optioned Nick Tropeano and Jason Vosler to Sacramento.

The Giants are now 14-6 in day games this season, tying the Rays for the best record in day games this season.

UP NEXT: Kevin Gausman goes for the Giants in the series finale, while the Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound.