The Los Angeles Dodgers took the field Wednesday night with an opportunity to put a stranglehold on their lead in the National League West. However, in order to do so, they’d have to overcome their struggles against left-handed pitching.
San Francisco Giants southpaw Matt Moore nearly no-hit Los Angeles when he last faced them. Moore threw a career-high 133 pitches, and lost his bid for the history books on a two-out single by Corey Seager in the ninth inning.
On Wednesday, Moore failed to make it out of the second inning. But 27-year-old didn’t believe the results were necessarily a byproduct of poor pitching.
“It seemed like there was a lot of really small stuff going on,” Moore said. “Beside the Puig home run, especially in the first inning, I didn’t feel like there were a lot of hard-hit balls.”
Spotted a 1-0 lead in the first, Moore was knocked around by the Dodgers. After a Justin Turner walk to put two runners on with one out, Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI single tied the game.
Moore then gave up a three-run homer to Yasiel Puig, which gave the Dodgers a lead they never relinquished:
So…about that first inning. ? pic.twitter.com/BV3eaF2itR
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 22, 2016
On top of providing a big blast, Puig made a stellar catch in right field to end the fourth inning:
"The night belongs to @YasielPuig." pic.twitter.com/FUnqYOBKHX
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 22, 2016
Trailing 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Giants essentially waved the white flag by emptying their bench. Los Angeles went on for a 9-3 victory, extending their lead in the division to season-high-tying six games.
Their magic number to clinch a fourth straight NL West title is five. The Dodgers open a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, while the Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.
