Dodgers hold off Giants' rally in 9th for 9-8 victory
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers roughed up Madison Bumgarner and rode their hot-hitting lineup for the first eight innings of Thursday night's game against San Francisco. It was their clutch fielding that ended up helping them hold on for a 9-8 win.
The Giants trailed 9-4 going into the ninth but scored four times to get within a run.
With runners on first and second and none out, first baseman Cody Bellinger grabbed Tyler Austin's bunt and threw to third to get Stephen Vogt on a close play. The Giants challenged, but the call was upheld after a nearly two-minute review.
"That turned out to be a big play," Bellinger said. "It probably would've been the weirdest loss I would have been a part of. Good thing it wasn't."
Giants manager Bruce Bochy was miffed the replay umpires did not overturn the call at third and made his feelings clear after the game.
"I would like to know what they are looking at in New York. I wish they could show me what they saw," he said. "I saw it on the scoreboard and after the game. It could be missed on replay and it looked like it was missed. You couldn't have a bigger call go against you."
The first five San Francisco batters got on in the ninth, including a two-run double by Brandon Crawford and RBI singles by Mike Yastrzemski and Vogt.
But the Dodgers turned in another defensive gem when they needed it. Center fielder Alex Verdugo chased down Buster Posey's line drive and made a diving catch, and Kyle Garlick caught Brandon Belt's fly ball near the warning track in right for the final out.
Kenley Jansen was charged with a run and two hits but was able to hang on for his 22nd save.
Garlick, Austin Barnes and Joc Pederson each hit a two-run homer for the major league-leading Dodgers, who won three of four against the rival Giants.
Garlick and Barnes — who each had three hits — drove their balls over the left field wall during a five-run fourth inning. Pederson came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and launched his 20th of the season to left.
The Dodgers sent 11 batters to the plate and had eight of their 16 hits in the fourth as they chased Bumgarner (3-7) after 3 2/3 innings.
Justin Turner also had three hits, and Garlick had his first three-RBI game in the majors. The Dodgers have won six of eight on their homestand.
"You take out that ninth inning, it was a very clean, well-played game for us all around," manager Dave Roberts said.
Yastrzemski had a two-run homer in the seventh for last-place San Francisco, which has dropped four of five. Crawford added three RBIs.
Los Angeles lefty Julio Urias made his first start since April 18 at Milwaukee. Urias, who could move back into the rotation after Rich Hill was placed on the injured list, worked three innings and gave up one hit while striking out five.
JT Chargois (1-0) allowed a run in two innings for the win.
A START TO FORGET
If this was Bumgarner's last outing against LA as a member of the Giants, it was not his most memorable.
Max Muncy wore a T-shirt reading "Go get it out of the ocean" again during batting practice. The message was Muncy's response when the left-hander told him "Don't watch the ball, run" after Muncy homered into McCovey Cove in San Francisco for the only run of the game on June 9.
Bochy said the Dodgers might be "poking the bear" by wearing the shirts.
"You poke the bear enough, you can't be upset if he fights back, either. Some things are best to let it go," Bochy said.
Bumgarner, who could be traded before the July 31 deadline, had his shortest outing in 35 starts against the Dodgers, as well as allowing his most hits to them and surrendering six or more runs for only the second time.
"This start didn't feel any different than the rest of them," Bumgarner said. "I gave up a lot of hits in a row. I will have to see if I can find a reason for why it unraveled."
STREAKS AND STATS
It was the third straight night the Dodgers scored nine runs against their NL West rivals. The last time they had three nights in a row against the Giants with nine or more runs was July 1977. ... Turner is batting .344 since April 26.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto, recovering from Tommy John surgery last August, will throw a bullpen Friday in Arizona. Bochy said Cueto is throwing 40 pitches per session and continues to make progress.
"He's making enough strides that he could start his rehab in August, and then a month of rehab and he could be ready to go in September," Bochy said. "This isn't us pushing him, this is just the schedule that was set out when he started his rehab."
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (3-6, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound Friday for the opener of a three-game series in Arizona. Samardzija has lost five of his last six starts and allowed a season-high nine hits in his last one Sunday against Milwaukee.
Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (7-1, 3.06) starts the first game of a weekend series against Colorado. Buehler is 2-0 in three June starts and has allowed only one earned run in his last 22 innings.