Tag: Los Angeles Dodgers

Longoria helps Giants clinch series with three-run jack in 4-2 win over Dodgers

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By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO–Evan Longoria is learning fast what the rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers means.

Longoria smashed a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, as the Giants defeated the Dodgers 4-2 before a sellout crowd of 42,020 at AT&T Park Sunday. The Giants won three out of four in the series.

This was the third consecutive series that the Giants have won, and it was the first time that they have won three series in a row since May 11-21 of last season, when they won series against the Cincinnati Reds, the Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

With the victory over the Dodgers, the Giants are now 6-4 versus them this season and the two teams will not face each other until June 15-17at Dodger Stadium. This is the Dodgers last appearance at AT&T Park until the last three games of the season from September 28-30.

The Longoria home run was his sixth home run of the season, and his second of the series, as he hit one on Friday night.

“Monkey off my back with that hit yesterday,” said Longoria.

Buster Posey, who doubled with two outs got the rally started, then Brandon Belt walked and then Longoria put a Kenta Maeda pitch into the left-center field bleachers.

“What a great two-out double, then a walk and a three-run homer,” said Bruce Bochy.

Ty Blach pitched a fantastic game, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walked just one and struck out four on his way to his second win of the season.

Earlier in the week, Blach, who suffered a case of food poisoning on the last road trip, where he lost eight or nine pounds, “Felt better today,” said Blach.

Brandon Belt added a run-scoring double in the bottom of the third inning, as he drove in Posey, who walked just in front of Belt.

Maeda also went six innings for the Dodgers, as he gave up four runs on five hits, walking four and striking out three and saw his record fall to 2-2 on the season.

Brandon Crawford made the defensive play of the game, as he made a diving catch on a hit by Kyle Farmer and was able to double up Cody Bellinger at second base for the third out of the inning.

The Dodgers cut the Giants lead in half in the top of the seventh inning, as Joc Pederson drove in Max Muncy, who pinch hit for Cody Bellinger.

Hunter Strickland pitched a perfect ninth inning to notch his seventh save of the season, as he picked up two saves in the series.

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija will look for his second win of the season, as he takes the ball in the opener against the San Diego Padres on Monday night, as they will send left-hander Eric Lauer to the mound, as he looks for his first win.

Reliever Will Smith, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery is currently with Triple-A Sacramento and has appeared in five games, going 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with seven strikeouts. Hunter Pence, who is out with a sprained right thumb began his rehab assignment on Friday night and is 1-for-8 with a hit by a pitch in two games in Sacramento.

This was the 10th time this season that the Giants and Dodgers have played so far in 2018, which marks just the second time in major league history that two teams have faced each other 10 times before the end of April. The Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays did it in 2003. They are three different sets of teams are doing it this month, the Padres and the Colorado Rockies, the Rays and Boston Red Sox and the Dodgers and Giants.

Stratton shells, Sandoval pitches in Giants’ 15-6 loss to Dodgers in Game 1 of doubleheader

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO–Everyone knew on both the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers that this was going to be a long day.

Chris Stratton lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, walking four and striking out three and the Dodgers took Game 1 of the doubleheader with a 15-6 victory over the Giants before a sellout crowd of 41,809 at AT&T Park.

The Dodgers got to Stratton for three runs in the first two innings, and he was replaced by Roberto Gomez after allowing a triple to Joc Pederson that made the score 6-2 Dodgers with one out in the inning.

Gomez went 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out two, before giving way to Derek Law, who pitched three innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and the Dodgers extended the lead to 12-2 at the end of the sixth inning.

Cory Gearrin pitched one-third of an inning, but the story of the day was the last pitcher that went to the mound for the Giants in the top of the ninth inning.

Pablo Sandoval, who started the game at third base for the Giants pitched the ninth inning and on 13 pitches, he got the Dodgers to ground out all three times. It was only in the game that the Dodgers were retired in order on the afternoon.

“Felt good, my first time being a pitcher,” said Sandoval.

Alec Hanson made his Giants debut, a memorable one, as he took a Pedro Baez offering and planted it on the arcade near the third archway in right-center field, a home run that measured at 405 feet.

“I was planning on going shopping with my wife this morning, but I got the call,” said Hanson.

Hanson was added to the roster this morning after the Giants were forced to place Joe Panik on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb.

The Panik move was not the only one by the Giants, as Mac Williamson was placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list, Stratton was reinstated from the Paternity List, Law was designated as the 26thman. Austin Slater, who was optioned after last night’s game was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.

To make room for Hanson on the 40-man roster, Mark Melancon was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Giants and Dodgers will meet once again

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Photo credit: @Laurel_Inn_SF

By Jeremy Kahn

Coming off of back-to-back series wins for the first two times this season, the San Francisco Giants return to play in the National League West and an old rival comes to town.

The reigning National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers make their second of three trips to the Bay Area this season for a four-game series at AT&T Park.

This will be the last time that the Dodgers come to AT&T Park until the last weekend of the season, as they will face the Giants from September 28-30.

Derek Holland will take the AT&T Park mound, as the left-hander looks for his first win as a member of the Giants, while the Dodgers will send Hyun-Jin Ryu, who looks to improve to 4-0 on the season.

The Giants are coming off a 15-2 loss to the Washington Nationals, as Jeff Samardzija made his second start of the season, but he did get out of the fourth inning.

Samardzija went 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight runs, walking three and striking out three in his first AT&T Park start of the season.

Ryu is coming off a seven inning performance against the Nationals on Saturday night, as he went seven innings, allowing no runs on just two hits, walking three and striking out eight.

This is the third consecutive start that Ryu won, as he did not fare in his first start of the season, as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 8-7 at Chase Field.

Brandon Belt continues to hit the ball well, as he went 2-for-4 in Wednesday’s loss to the Nationals and is now batting .304 on the season.

Mac Williamson was a late scratch to Wednesday’s game, as he suffered a neck strain from the attempt at a foul ball in Tuesday night victory over the Nationals, where he hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Dodgers’ pitchers baffle A’s hitters as they shut them out 4-0

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s hitting woes continued Tuesday night in Los Angeles as they were held to just five hits and no runs by four Dodger pitchers. Hyun-Jin Ryu, who needed a good outing to keep his spot in the rotation, did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and finished the night after six innings. Ryu walked just one batter and struck out eight. He threw 90 pitches to pick up his first win of the year. The Dodgers won 4-0.

The A’s Sean Manaea lost for the second time this year. Sean gave up back-to-back home runs to the first two hitters he faced in the first inning. Chris Taylor and Corey Seager took Manaea deep and that would be all the runs the Dodgers would need to win the game.

The Dodgers added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Liam Hendriks gave up a solo home run to Matt Kemp leading off the inning. Clay Bellinger singled and scored all the way from first on Logan Forsythe’s double down into the corner in left field. Hendriks walked Austin Barnes. A’s manager Bob Melvin saw enough and ended Hendrik’s night.

The A’s threatened in the eighth. With two out, Stephen Piscotty singled. Marcus Semien doubled, and Piscotty would have scored had the ball not bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double. Piscotty had to stop at third. Third baseman Matt Chapman flew out for the final out, and the A’s threat was over.

Game Notes: Trace Thompson made his first appearance as an Oakland Athletic in the top of the sixth when he hit for Sean Manaea. He did not get a hit.

The A’s line score was no runs, five hits, and no errors as they drop to 4-8. The Dodger line was four runs, eleven hits, and no errors. They improve to 4-6.

Up Next: Game two of the two-game series will be Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Daniel Mengden will pitch for Oakland, and he will be opposed by lefty Alex Wood.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Memories of the 1988 World Series–Athletics vs. Dodgers

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Athletics are visiting Dodger Stadium for a brief two-game inter-league series for their first interleague series of the year.

In 1988, the Dodgers turned the baseball world upside down with a huge upset of the A’s in the World Series. That season, the A’s were one of their best teams in history as they won the American League pennant with a 104-58 record.

The team made history when Cuban-born Jose Canseco became the first 40/40 man in baseball with 42 home runs and 40 steals. He also ended the season with a .307 batting average and drove in 124 runs. Not only that, he was the American League MVP.

Canseco recently told me during the A’s 50 Players in 50 Years reunion at the Oakland Coliseum: “Mi mejor temporada.” English translation: “My best season.”

When Canseco first came to the A’s, he was afraid to speak Spanish, but after a couple of years, I had no trouble speaking to him in Spanish. After he retired, he told me his Spanish was terrible. Well, it wasn’t completely terrible, but it wasn’t the greatest either.

For the record, the interview I did with him on that day this season in Oakland, I began asking questions in Spanish, but after two minutes into the interview, he listened to my questions in Spanish, but replied in English. I decided not to play it on our pregame show that night. Yes, that’s Jose for you.

During that 1988 World Series, Manolo Alvarez of WQBA radio in Miami was covering it, and I had to convince Canseco to finally give an interview for the Spanish-speaking folks in Miami to Alvarez. Jose refused to talk to Alvarez, so I had to convince him to give that interview because it was important. Years later, when the Marlins were born in 1993, Alvarez started doing color for Spanish radio in Miami with Rafael “Felo” Ramirez.

Rickey Henderson, who started his Hall of Fame career of 25 years, started with the A’s in 1979 and played there until 1984. After that, he went to the Yankees, so he was not part of that championship team.

In 1988, Mark McGwire had a huge season with 32 home runs and 99 runs batted in, Dave Stewart won 21 games (his second of four consecutive years winning 20 or more games), Bob Welch ended with 17 wins, Storm Davis won 16, Curt Young 11 and Todd Burns won eight games, and the great Hall of Famer and Fremont native Dennis Eckersley–arguably the best closer of his time–saved 45 games.

The first game at the end had the feeling of a seventh and deciding game when Kirk Gibson won the National League MVP that year and hit that memorable home run to the right field seats a pitch in the ninth inning from Eckersely, that would leave the A’s on the field as the Dodgers scored two runs and won it 5-4. After that first game, the A’s won only one game and lost the series in five.

I share many stories on the field prior each game at Dodger Stadium and the Oakland Coliseum with many reporters from all over the country and were talking about a sweep by the A’s, because on paper, they were a highly-superior ball club.

I remember Evo Luis Alonso, a reporter for Voice of America, on an interview. Before the first game, he asked me if I thought the A’s where going to sweep. That was the talk then, because if you really compared both teams, the A’s were the better team and almost nobody disagreed with that. Well, maybe Tommy LaSorda, who’s never at a loss for words, and told me in his unique Spanish prior to the series that his team had a great chance. And he was right! But that’s Tommy and how he communicates with others.

Interestingly enough, the Dodgers who are hosting the A’s for this brief, two-game interleague middle of the week series in Los Angeles, have not won a World Series since 1988 since they beat the A’s.

For anybody that was with the A’s in 1988, that was probably the most unfortunate story, to lose to the Dodgers. The A’s went on to win the 1989 World Series vs. Giants, which was interrupted by the Loma Prieta Earthquake, but the A’s were the better team beating the Giants before and after the earthquake, then went to Cincinnati in 1990 and the Reds won that World Series.

Baseball is a funny game. In retrospect, I believe the A’s could have won three straight again like they did in 1972-74, but the baseball Gods were not in the Atleticos’ favor.

I will never forget the 1988 World Series or the two that followed for that matter. I felt fortunate that I was with the A’s during those three consecutive World Series. I mean, not a lot of teams would go to three World Series in a row. We do not see a lot of that today. Anyways, there were lots of memories and people I met during that 1988 World Series, one of them was the great Spanish tenor, Placido Domingo, who came to my broadcast booth at the Oakland Coliseum prior to a game there and told me he was a big baseball fan and a fan of Jose Canseco.

A few of us are still with the A’s and remember that 1988 was a very special and successful year, which ended with a very bad memory. I do remember saying something after that first game lost to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium like, “I hope this is just not the precursor of what is going to happen the rest of the series,” because that first game felt like it was the seventh and deciding game. Many historians consider the 1988 World Series as one of the greatest upsets in World Series history.

McCutchen walks it off in the bottom of the 14th in Giants’ 7-5 win over Dodgers

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Welcome to one of the biggest rivalries in all of major league baseball, Andrew McCutchen of the San Francisco Giants.

McCutchen hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 14th inning, helping the Giants defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 before a sellout crowd of 42,302 at AT&T Park Saturday.

It was the sixth hit of the game for McCutchen, whose previous career high was five that he picked up on May 14, 2010, while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The three-run home run by McCutchen capped a 12-pitch at-bat against Wilmer Font to give the Giants a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

McCutchen was down 1-2 against Font and then fouled off seven consecutive pitches, and then on the 12th pitch of the at-bat he launched the pitch into the left-center field seats for the victory.

Kelby Tomlinson and Joe Panik each singled off of Font before McCutchen’s first home run as a member of the Giants.

“I was just trying to fight him off, fight him off, until I got comfortable enough to whatever he threw up there I was ready to hit,” McCutchen said. “He didn’t elevate it too much there, and I was able to elevate.”

It was a four-RBI game for McCutchen, who saw his batting average raise from .083 to .258.

“Finally showed up today. Finally,” McCutchen said. “It’s only what, Game 7, but when you’re not getting hits, it feels like it’s forever. Feels good to show up today and do the job.”

Buster Posey also hit his first home run of the season for the Giants, as they improved to 4-3 on the young season, while the reigning National League Champion Dodgers fell to 2-6 on the season, their worst start in 42 years.

The Giants led on three different occasions, as they led 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3; however, the Dodgers tied it up every time and took the lead for the only time in the top of the 14th inning.

Roberto Gomez pitched the 14th inning to pick-up his first major league win, as the Giants used all nine relievers.

The Dodgers took their only lead of the game in the top of the 14th, as Logan Forsythe drove in Yasiel Puig with a single.

After just the sixth rainout in the history of AT&T Park, and first since April 11, 2006, the two old rivals played a 14th inning, five hour 16-minute game that started at 3:05 (local time) and ended at 8:21 (local time).

Font was the last reliever for the Dodgers, as manager Dave Roberts used Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu as pinch hitters.

Chase Utley tied up the game in the top of the seventh inning, as he launched a pitch that landed on the arcade in right field. Utley’s double play mate, Corey Seager picked up two hits and reached five times and Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger also picked up two hits.

“We just came up short again,” Roberts said. “That’s five runs in 14 innings. You have to look at each at-bat and the quality needs to get better. There needs to be a better pitch-to-pitch focus.”

Chris Stratton pitched five innings for the Giants, as he gave up two runs and walked four in a no-decision.

Veteran Rich Hill gave up three runs on five hits, while walking just two and striking out six.

NOTES: Kershaw, who came up as a pinch hitter will start the brief two-game series finale on Sunday for the Dodgers. Ty Blach will take the mound for the Giants in a rematch for opening day at Dodger Stadium.

The Giants struck out 18 times against Dodgers, tied for the second most in team history. This was the second time in team history that they struck out 18 times in the same game.

They struck out 18 times on September 1, 1967 against the Cincinnati Reds, and it ties the most ever against the Dodgers, as the Dodgers also did to the Giants on August 31, 1959.

The San Diego Padres struck out 20 Giants on June 18, 2001.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Dodgers conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PT.

SF Giants’ series opener against Dodgers postponed due to rain; make up doubleheader Apr 28th

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By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — It does not happen to the San Francisco Giants in the Bay Area often, but it happened in the first two weeks of the season.

The Giants’ series opener against the defending National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers is being postponed due to rain.

With the rainout tonight, tomorrow’s game will now begin at 3:05 pm instead of the scheduled 1:05 pm start due to the weather. Derek Holland will start for the Giants, as his home debut will be pushed back one day.

The makeup game between the Giants and Dodgers will now be part of a day-night doubleheader that will take place on Saturday April 28, as the first game will begin at 1:05 pm and the scheduled 6:05 pm game for that night will be pushed back to a 7:05 pm start.

This is the first rainout at AT&T Park since April 12, 2006, when the Giants game against the Houston Astros postponed due to rain. That was the second game in a row that the Giants and Astros were postponed by rain, as the game on April 11 was also postponed.

Since moving into AT&T Park in 2000, this is only the sixth rainout and the second against the Dodgers. The game between the Giants and Dodgers was also was on April 12, 2003.

Other Giants games postponed since moving to AT&T Park came in the first month that the park opened back in 2000, as the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was postponed due to rain with then President Bill Clinton in attendance. Just three weeks later, the game against the Colorado Rockies was also postponed due to rain.

In the 60-year history that the Giants have been in San Francisco, this is just the 33rd postponement. A game on May 1, 1992 against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed due to a city curfew.

Suddenly surging Giants to face Dodgers again

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The last time the San Francisco Giants saw the Los Angeles Dodgers, Joe Panik was the only one in a Giants uniform to generate any offense.

The second baseman accomplished a rare feat by hitting solo home runs in consecutive 1-0 wins to start the 2018 season, but the lack of offense caught up to the Giants last Saturday and Sunday, and the Dodgers were able to rally and get a split of the four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Lefty Derek Holland will take the hill for Friday night’s series opener at AT&T Park opposite Dodgers righty Kenta Maeda, who shut out the Giants over five innings in a 5-0 win Saturday night.

Holland, meanwhile, was on the wrong side of that contest, as he gave up five runs – three earned – on three hits, walking three hitters and striking out four of them.

One thing that is drastically different for the Giants, which was nonexistent in the opening series of the season, is the offense. The Giants split a two-game series at home against Seattle, during which they scored 14 runs.

Even more remarkable was the 10-1 explosion Wednesday afternoon, most of those runs coming against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez. The day was punctuated in the fifth inning, when Pablo Sandoval, noticeably trimmer than his days in Boston, launched a three-run homer into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field bleachers.

Things figure to be a little tougher against Dodgers pitching, as Rich Hill will take the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday, as he faces Chris Stratton. To close out the series, Ty Blach will hope to follow up his stellar effort in the season opener in beating Clayton Kershaw head-to-head, and he will be opposite Kershaw again on Sunday.

Dodgers get back-to-back shutouts with 9-0 win over Giants

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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.

Maeda shuts out Giants for Dodgers’ first win of season 5-0

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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.