Dodgers 3 Giants 2 : Great Bounceback Win IMO

This game was very frustrating until it wasn’t. This time, the Dodgers were able to mount a comeback and win in extras.

Coming off a disappointing loss last night, the Dodgers got themselves back into the win column against the Giants.

It sure didn’t look that way early on, as the Dodgers reverted back to their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. They left the bases loaded in the first and third, but they scored one in the third on a hit by pitch. They got leadoff doubles in the fourth and sixth, but couldn’t cash them in. They left two on base in the ninth, leaving 13 men on base in total. They combined to go 2-21 with runners in scoring position, and one of the hits didn’t score a run.

The Dodgers struck first in the third after Scott Van Slyke was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. He left the game with a back injury that was unrelated to the HBP.

The Giants scored two off Dodger starter Clayton Kershaw, who was mostly good in this game. He wasn’t racking up strikeouts like he usually does, but a combination of terrible umpires and a great contact team held Kershaw to only five strikeouts. I’m not usually one to complain about umpiring, but.

A.J. Ellis is one of the worst pitch framing catchers in baseball and he was set up inside, but this is atrocious.

Kershaw threw eight innings and only needed 91 pitches to do so. He allowed four hits and walked two, but two of the four hits left the yard. The first, a fastball down the pipe to Madison Bumgarner, who is arguably the best hitting pitcher in baseball (and easily the best power-hitting pitcher in baseball). MadBum was hitting eighth with Ehire Adrianza hitting ninth, and Adrianza nearly went back to back with Bumgarner in the second, but the ball went foul. In the fifth, Adrianza got a similar pitch and this one stayed fair, which gave the Giants a 2-1 lead.

The Dodgers looked to be doomed as they had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth. Adrian Gonzalez rolled into a routine double play, but the wet conditions caused Kelby Tomlinson to fumble the ball at second, allowing the tying run to score. After Chris Hatcher worked around a leadoff single in the ninth, Corey Seager and Charlie Culberson hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the tenth. Kenley Jansen threw a lot of pitches and didn’t get many swinging strikes, but he closed out the win with a perfect ninth.

This was a very welcome come from behind victory and it was very nice for the Dodgers to win round one of Kershaw vs Bumgarner. Even though neither fared in the decision, this was a game the 2015 Dodgers probably lose up there. They lost their first seven games at AT&T Park last season, with three of them coming on walkoff hits. So to get that monkey off their back and not lose on a walkoff for the second consecutive night was very nice.

The Dodgers look to split the four game series tomorrow, with Scott Kazmir taking the hill against Johnny Cueto. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PST.