Giants stay hot, beat Dodgers 5-2
The San Francisco Giants kept up their win streak as they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 Monday night in LA. The Giants won their fourth in five games, to bring them to 51-42 on the season, just four games behind the NL West-leading San Diego Padres. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have lost five in a row after a four-game sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals and find themselves at 49-44, six games behind the Padres. The Giants are on a tear, winning their 10th in 12 games, while the Dodgers are slumping with seven losses in their last 11 games. Six games behind the Padres ties the lowest they've been all season.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre believes a lack of hitting with men in scoring position is the key to their decline.
"You get what you earn. Right now we've given a lot away and we have to find a way of getting back on track," he said. "We've left a lot of men on base lately."
The rivalry has been intense all season but has mostly been dominated by Los Angeles, winning five of the six first-half games. The Giants took the first of this series, but it wasn't always easy. San Francisco's starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (3-2) made it look that way though, allowing just two runs on six hits in five and two-thirds innings, including three strikeouts and two walks. Even though he got the win, Bumgarner said he expects more.
"I wish I could've been a little more focused in the sixth,” he said. “I definitely didn't make some pitches I needed to make."
In the sixth, Rafael Furcal homered to lead off the inning, but after Jamey Carroll singled and two outs were made, Bumgarner walked James Loney, which led him to be pulled. Guillermo Mota came in to finish off the inning for him, the first of three relief pitchers to throw for the Giants. Brian Wilson came on to close out the game, securing his 26th save of the season on 28 tries, which is tied for the lead in the National League. Wilson kept the Giants and their fans on edge while he loaded the bases with two outs before fanning Casey Blake to end the game.
"We've seen him quite a few times do that. It's part of Giants baseball," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's not fun, believe me."
Nate Schierholtz led the way on offence for the Giants, with what was essentially the game-winning two-run home run in the fourth.
James McDonald roughed up in first start of season
Dodgers' starting pitcher McDonald (0-1) was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to make his first start this year. He gave up four runs on nine hits through five innings, but had to work hard to get out of a couple jams. He dodged a bases loaded, no outs situation in the second by getting the Giants' 7-8-9 hitters out in succession.
"I trust my stuff, added a new pitch [slider], so I'm different," McDonald said. "You always feel butterflies when you go out there, but it's a different type of butterflies now -- more of a competing feeling than a nervous feeling. I got my adrenaline going in the second inning and got out of it. So that was fun."
But next inning, the Giants struck with two outs for two runs.
MRI for Manny
Manny Ramirez claimed his calf was tight on Monday, so Torre decided to leave him out of the lineup and send him for an MRI Tuesday. Carroll filled in for him in left field, going 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.
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