The Los Angeles Dodgers twice led by three runs and also pulled ahead in the 10th and 11th innings, only to suffer a walk-off loss to the San Francisco Giants. L.A. fell to 2-1 in extra innings this season and had their four-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, the Giants have now won an MLB-best seven consecutive games and their latest victory put them in the record books alongside the 1998 Philadelphia Phillies. Per STATS LLC., the Giants are only the second team in he Modern Era to trail in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings of a game but still come away with a win.
They did so behind Brandon Belt’s game-tying solo home run against Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, Mauricio Dubon’s RBI infield single in the 10th, and Donovan Solano’s walk-off home run in the 11th.
The homer was Belt’s second of the night, and he finished 4-for-5 with half of the Giants’ RBI. Evan Longoria also had a vintage performance, going 4-for-5 as well with an RBI.
The blown save and home run were both firsts for Jansen this season.
“I just don’t think we made good pitches,” Roberts said of the success Longoria and Belt had. “In certain cases we had count leverage and didn’t put them away.”
Postseason preview?
With MLB implementing an expanded postseason, a total of 16 teams are guaranteed to play October baseball this year. For the Dodgers, who still hold the best record in baseball, that amounts to a best-of-3 Wild Card series against the No. 8 team in the National League.
That spot is currently occupied by the suddenly resurgent Giants. The Dodgers have split the eight head-to-head meetings against their longtime rival so far this season, and aren’t concerned about potentially retaining any competitive advantages for the postseason.
“Not at all,” Roberts said before Tuesday’s game. “We’ve played them seven times already. I expect to win but I don’t think there’s any kind of hidden things or things we want to keep from them for fear of seeing them in the postseason.”
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