FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Giants - Series 26

FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Giants – Series 26

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Los Angeles Dodgers (48-31)  |  San Francisco Giants (50-29)

 

“Say ‘Dodgers,’ and people know you’re talking about baseball…Say ‘Padres,’ and they look around for a priest.”

– Tommy Lasorda

 

Game 2:

 

The Dodgers broke the brooms out as they faced one of the best pitchers in baseball and thanks to some timely hitting and an elite pitcher of their own. Walker Buehler and the Dodgers beat Kevin Gausman and the Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, completing a brief two-game sweep in Los Angeles.

A five-game win streak has the Dodgers back to within 1½ games of San Francisco in the National League West, exactly where they were nine days ago, before a four-game losing streak that Dave Roberts called “embarrassing” and of which Clayton Kershaw said, “I think maybe it was a wake-up call.”

The alarm bells sounded for the Dodgers in the first inning, thanks to walks by Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger, sandwiching Justin Turner getting hit by a pitch. It’s the first time this season Gausman walked more than one batter in an inning.

Chris Taylor cashed in the wildness with a two-run double, marking the fourth straight game the Dodgers scored first.

Gausman entered Tuesday with a minuscule 1.49 ERA on the season, thanks in part to a devastating splitter against which batters are hitting just .098 with a .141 slugging percentage, and 83 strikeouts. That includes 0-for-5 with four strikeouts on Tuesday.

“Whether it’s the [Max] Scherzer slider, the [Yu] Darvish slider, the split from Gausman, the [Brandon] Woodruff fastball, the [Corbin] Burnes cutter,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “Not counting our guys, [Gausman’s splitter] is up there with the best, as far as a certain pitch that’s elite. It’s tough to manage.”

 

The Dodgers did walk twice in plate appearances ending in the splitter, part of a season-high five walks for Gausman on the night. They did damage elsewhere. All three hits against Gausman were off his fastball, including a home run by Max Muncy in the third inning, Muncy’s seventh home run in nine games against San Francisco this season.

The patience and the occasional power helped the Dodgers chase Gausman after five innings and 90 pitches, just the third time in 16 starts Gausman failed to pitch at least six innings.

Depth hasn’t been a problem for Buehler, who completed six innings for the 16th time in 16 tries in 2021. This time he pitched into the seventh and would have completed it if not for a fielding error by Gavin Lux at shortstop. A double by Steven Duggar brought home the only tally against Buehler, whose 113 pitches are his second-most ever, and most in a regular-season game.

He threw 117 pitches in Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS.

Dodgers pitchers have allowed eight runs during the five-game winning streak. Joe Kelly finished off the seventh inning, and threw a perfect eighth inning on Tuesday, setting up Kenley Jansen for his 20th save of the year.

Kelly in June has allowed one earned run in 11 innings. Jansen has allowed none, in 10⅓ innings.

 

Game 2 Boxscore:

 

WP: Walker Buehler (8-1)

LP: Kevin Gausman (8-2)

SV: Kenley Jansen (20)

HR: Max Muncy (17)

 

The Dodgers are off Wednesday when they will travel to Washington D.C. for a four-game series against the Nationals. Tony Gonsolin starts the series opener against Patrick Corbin. The first pitch is set for 4:05 and can be seen on SportsNet LA.

 

 

Game 1:

The Dodgers and Giants played another close game. It’s the sixth time in eight tries this season their game has been within two runs in the seventh inning or later. Baseball, by definition, is a team sport, but Monday night was all about the solos. Home runs accounted for all five runs in the series opener, with the Dodgers prevailing 3-2.

After allowing first-inning home runs in five straight games last week — one of the main drivers of the Dodgers’ four-game losing streak — the early power shoes were on the other foot on Monday. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy started the game with two home runs, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead, just two batters into the bottom of the first.

They were the Dodgers’ first opening-frame home runs in nine games.

Both home runs were hit off starter Anthony DeSclafani, who also surrendered a fourth-inning shot to Will Smith. It’s been a tale of two seasons for DeSclafani, who has been quite good with a 2.91 ERA, but the Dodgers have accounted for almost half the damage against him:

• DeSclafani vs. Dodgers: 12⅓ innings, 15 runs, five home runs
• DeSclafani vs. everyone else: 80⅓ innings, 16 runs, six home runs

The Giants twice pulled to within a run thanks to a pair of home runs off Trevor Bauer.

 

The solo homers were the only two runs allowed by Bauer in six innings, he also struck out eight Giants. Bauer has allowed a team-high 19 home runs on the season, second only to the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks (20 home runs) in the majors. But 14 of those homers have been solo shots, with only 24 total runs allowed on the 19 home runs. Bauer has only allowed 12 other runs this season.

Kershaw in 2017 allowed a then-career-high 23 home runs, but only 34 total runs on them. He allowed 15 runs on non-homers and led the National League with a 2.31 ERA.

Bauer’s 2.59 ERA currently ranks 13th in the NL. Two pitchers ahead of him — Kevin Gausman (1.49, second) and Walker Buehler (2.51, 12th) — start the series finale on Tuesday.

There were other scoring opportunities aside from the home runs. Not so much from the Dodgers, who only had two hits and two walks outside of the balls they hit over the wall. They were 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position.

It was the Giants who constantly threatened, with eight non-homer hits and two walks. But they were a whopping 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, which allowed for the Dodgers’ three solo homers to hold up.

 

Game 1 Boxscore:

 

WP: Trevor Bauer (8-5)

LP: Anthony DeSclafani (8-3)

SV: Kenley Jansen (19)

HR: Mookie Betts (10), Max Muncy (16), Will Smith (10); Lamont Wade Jr. (6), Brandon Crawford (17)

 

 

The Dodgers and Giants finish their short two-game series Tuesday night when Walker Buehler takes on Kevin Gausman. The first pitch is at 7:10 and can be seen on SportsNet LA and on ESPN.

 

Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                     Dodgers vs Giants                                                         

 

– Joe Arrigo

Follow Joe on Twitter @JoeArrigo

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