Offense Takes The Night Off As Dodgers Fall To The Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — Four games ago, the Dodgers were connected a gait to triumph 128 games. They would triumph nan National League West by, what, 20 aliases 30 games?

Today, for nan first clip this season, nan Dodgers do not ain sole possession of first spot successful nan NL West.

They are tied for first pinch their rivals: nan San Diego Padres.

On a acold and intermittently rainy nighttime successful San Francisco, nan Dodgers’ bats were cold, and astir productive erstwhile not used. In a 3-1 loss to nan Giants, nan Dodgers scored their only tally by bunching 4 walks successful 1 hitless inning.

In nan first inning, nan Giants tagged Yoshinobu Yamamoto for 3 runs earlier he had recorded nan 2nd out. Yamamoto righted himself by retiring nan adjacent 11 batters he faced, but nan Dodgers mislaid for nan 3rd clip successful 4 games.

The radiance connected nan Dodgers’ astir historical rivalry has faded, correct on pinch nan Giants. San Francisco has posted 1 winning grounds successful nan past 9 seasons, and nan chants of “Let’s Go Dodgers!” astatine Oracle Park were much spirited than nan chants of “Beat L.A.!” until nan past mates of innings.

The Dodgers collected 3 hits, ne'er much than 1 successful an inning. They had a premier chance to people successful nan seventh, erstwhile Alex Freeland walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to put nan would-be tying runs connected guidelines pinch 2 out.

Kyle Tucker past struck out, for nan 3rd consecutive at-bat.

In 28 at-bats this play pinch runners successful scoring position, Tucker is batting .214, pinch nary extra-base hits.

The locomotion did widen Ohtani’s on-base streak to 53 games, tying Shawn Green for nan longest successful Los Angeles Dodgers history. The franchise record: 58, by Hall of Famer Duke Snider for nan 1954 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Yamamoto vanished his evening’s activity by striking retired nan side. He completed 7 innings for nan 2nd consecutive start, thing he did not execute until September past season.

He was succeeded connected nan mound by Tanner Scott, whom head Dave Roberts had said earlier nan game mightiness beryllium nan first prime successful a prevention situation. In this situation, pinch nan bosom of nan Giants’ bid owed up successful nan eighth inning and 2 left-handed hitters included, Roberts summoned nan left-handed Scott.

Scott worked a scoreless inning, lowering his earned-run mean to 0.93.

The first inning was ugly. The first batter singled, past precocious to 2nd guidelines connected a throwing correction by shortstop Hyeseong Kim. The 2nd batter singled, nan 3rd batter walked, and nan 4th batter singled location a run.

Casey Schmitt past deed a very catchable alert shot to left-center field, wherever near fielder Teoscar Hernández and halfway fielder Alex Call tried to drawback it. Call did, but he slammed into Hernandez and tumbled to nan ground. He did get up successful clip to return nan shot to nan infield, but nan Giants scored a tally connected what was scored arsenic a sacrifice fly, past different tally connected a dying alert shot that dropped conscionable successful beforehand of Tucker for a single.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a shaky first inning but sounded good aft that.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

That put nan Giants up 3-0 pinch 1 out, marking nan first clip successful 5 starts this play that Yamamoto had fixed up much than 2 runs successful a game. The adjacent 2 outs were agelong outs, 1 to nan informing way and 1 almost arsenic far, balls that mightiness person carried for extra-base hits connected a warmer night. After throwing 26 pitches successful that first inning, Yamamoto threw 28 complete nan adjacent three.

In all, Yamamoto gave up six hits complete 7 innings, striking retired seven. All of his first 5 starts person been value starts; nary different awesome convention pitcher has much than four.