Offense Somewhere at Bottom of Bay as Giants Trounce Dodgers

Dodgers 0 5 0

Giants 8 13 0

WP- Zito (6-5)

LP- Eovaldi (0-4)

There’s nothing that disgusts me more than losing to the Giants. Nathan Eovaldi lost his fourth game after being roughed up by our arch rivals. The Giants scored four runs in the first, three in the second, and they added one more for good measure in the fifth inning. The score didn’t matter much, since the Dodgers were shut out anyways and only squeezed out five runs. If you are a glutton for punishment, read on for the details.

Dee Gordon opens up the game with a walk allowed by Barry Zito. Elian Herrera grounds into a double play, and Andre Ethier grounds out.

The Giants attack early. Nathan Eovaldi retires Gregor Blanco on a groundout. Ryan Theriot and Melky Cabrera manage back-to-back lucky singles on an infield grounder to a tied up Gordon and a weak pop fly to center field which drops in front of Tony Gwynn Jr. Then the bad luck continues as Angel Pagan‘s hit ball bounces right off the first base bag and over Juan Rivera‘s head into right field. Theriot scores on the double. 1-0 Giants. Pablo Sandoval proceeds to double into the right field corner, and the Giants score two more runs and take a 3-0 lead. Brandon Belt makes the second out as he grounds to second. Hector Sanchez continues the carnage, and his single brings in the fourth run of the inning for the Giants. Rick Honeycutt goes out to the mound to counsel the young Eovaldi. Brandon Crawford finally makes the last out by grounding to first, but not before the Giants put up four runs on five hits.

Zito walks Juan Rivera, the lead-off man, to start the second inning. Jerry Hairston Jr. strikes out. A.J. Ellis walks, but Uribe flies out and Gwynn pops up. The Dodgers strand both runners.

Eovaldi’s troubles continue into the second inning, and he walks the opposing pitcher Zito to start. Blanco singles. Theriot grounds into what looks like a routine double play, but the ball gets away from Rivera at first allowing Theriot to reach safely. Melky Cabrera singles on a 3-2 count, and the Dodgers now have a commanding 5-0 lead. Pagan follows suit with another single, and Eovaldi is being roughed up 6-0 now. Cabrera scores on a sacrifice fly by the Panda. 7-0. Belt pops out to mercifully end the second inning.

Eovaldi leads off the third inning for the Dodgers, and obviously he’s being asked to take one for the team with a deficit this big. There’s no need to burn through more arms in the bullpen. Eovaldi strikes out looking. Gordon singles behind third base as Sandoval’s throw from foul ground gets away from Belt. Herrera pops up for the second out. Gordon steals second (24) with Ethier at the plate. Ethier flies out to center field to end the frame.

In the bottom of the third, Eovaldi finally sends the Giants down in order.

To be honest, this seven run Giant lead doesn’t matter much, because the Dodger offense is still comatose. They go down 1-2-3 in the fourth.

Nathan Eovaldi has another easy inning, and he has now retired eight Giants in a row.

Uribe and Gwynn both fly out in the fifth inning. Eovaldi strikes out, and the Dodgers have only one measly hit to this point.

Pablo Sandoval hits a belly whopper double off the wall with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hector Sanchez doubles to the deepest

part of the ballpark (the 421-foot crook in center) and Sandoval scores for the Giants’ eighth run of the game.

Zito hits Ethier on the back of the batting helmet to put him on with two outs in the sixth. The Dodger offense has now shut up like a clam.

Jamey Wright comes into the game for the bottom of the sixth. Wright only allows a Blanco single.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 innings, allowing 10 hits, 8 runs, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout on 91 pitches.

The Dodgers finally get their second  hit on a softly hit ball to right field by Hairston. A.J Ellis follows with a single to left as Zito reaches 100 pitches. Uribe, Gwynn, and Loney all fly out consecutively as they waste the two singles.

Wright walks Pagan to begin the bottom of the seventh. Sandoval gets another hit. Belt and Sanchez strikes out consecutively. Crawford singles on a groundball to Hairston who almost throws out Pagan at third. Nate Schierholtz makes the third out with a shallow fly to left.

George Kontos, right-hander, comes in to relieve Zito in the eighth. Gordon singles by the diving Cabrera. Herrera lines out. Pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy flies out. Juan Rivera draws a walk. Hairston chases a pitch outside and goes down on strikes. The Dodgers strand another two runners.

Barry Zito pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 hits, no runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts on 109 pitches.

Scott Elbert gets the ball for the Giant half of the eighth and promptly walks the lead-off hitter Blanco. Theriot grounds into a force out. Cabrera and Pagan both whiff.

Shane Loux will pitch the ninth for the Giants. A.J. Ellis strikes out for the second time. Uribe grounds out. Gwynn hits a two-out double to bring up James Loney who ends the game with a signature groundball out.

The Dodgers are now 43-31, and the Giants have now inched even closer as they pick up another game in the standings. They are now only two games back.

Tomorrow night Clayton Kershaw and Ryan Vogelsong will battle in game two at 7:15 pm. Hopefully Kersh can help turn things around.