The Los Angeles Dodgers entered their weekend series with the San Francisco Giants four games back of first place in the National League West. A victory on Sunday would cut the Giants’ lead to three games, and give the Dodgers their first series win at AT&T Park since Sept. 12-14, 2014.
Jake Peavy got ahead in the count 0-2 on Chase Utley, then saw his third pitch pulled into right field for a leadoff single in the first inning. Then with one out, Mac Williamson made a diving catch in left field to rob Justin Turner of a hit and likely RBI.
Peavy ended the scoreless inning by getting Adrian Gonzalez to pop out. Julio Urias fought some command issues, but retired the side in order on 15 pitches.
He ended the first inning by blowing a 95 mph fastball by Brandon Belt. Matt Duffy hit a one-out single in the bottom of the second, then the Giants had another runner reach on a gift pop up that dropped between Corey Seager and Turner.
Urias remained composed, retiring the next two batters to get through a second scoreless inning. Utley pulled a second base hit into right field in as many at-bats, but the Dodgers weren’t able to capitalize in the third.
Urias issued a one-out walk in the bottom of the third but also struck out the side to complete another scoreless inning. Peavy continued to sail, setting the Dodgers down in order in the fourth.
After Duffy reached with one out in the bottom of the fourth on a Turner error, he was picked off first base. Urias then ended inning by getting Brandon Crawford swinging for his sixth strikeout.
The Dodgers had their first threat in the fifth inning behind a Joc Pederson single and Howie Kendrick walk that put two on with none out. Any thoughts of a rally were quickly erased as A.J. Ellis grounded into a double play, and Urias flied out.
Unable to help himself at the plate, the 19-year-old lefty pitched into the fifth for the first time in his young Major League career and got through the inning by retiring the Giants in order.
Outside of an Utley infield single to leadoff the inning, which only came after the Dodgers challenged the out call, Peavy got through the sixth without issue. Span went down swinging to start the bottom of the sixth, giving Urias back-to-back starts with seven strikeouts.
Joe Panik jumped on the first pitch and lined a single into right-center field. Presumably facing his final batter on the night, Urias left a hanging slider over the plate that Belt got enough of for a two-run homer that broke the scoreless tie.
Hunter Strickland allowed the Dodgers to cut their deficit in half in the seventh inning as Pederson hit a towering solo home run that landed in McCovey Cove. Casey Fien remained in the game in the bottom of the seventh and promptly gave up a leadoff triple to Crawford.
The Dodgers’ right-hander retired the next two batters and was removed after intentionally walking pinch-hitter Connor Gillaspie. Adam Liberatore took over as part of a double switch that had Kiké Hernandez replace Kendrick in left.
Gillaspie stole second base without drawing a throw, but both runners were stranded as Span fouled out behind the plate to end the inning. George Kontos, Josh Osich and Cory Gearrin combined to throw a scoreless eighth inning, with Osich allowing the lone hit — a Seager two-out single.
Gonzalez failed on his attempt to reach on a bunt single to open the ninth, which gave Javier Lopez an out on just one pitch. Santiago Casilla then took over to close out the Giants’ 2-1 victory.
