LaMonte Wade Jr., Alex Wood lead SF Giants to 15-0 victory over Dodgers
The SF Giants extended their winning streak to six games on Saturday evening, blowing out the Los Angeles Dodgers 15-0. After a remarkable comeback victory on Friday night, the Giants dominated their biggest rival in arguably the team's most impressive all-around win of the season. Heading into the series finale on Sunday, the Giants are now just half a game back of the Dodgers for second place in the National League West and four games behind the Diamondbacks for the top spot in the division.
SF Giants starter Alex Wood throws a pitch against the Dodgers on June 17, 2023.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants activated starting pitcher Alex Wood from the injured list prior to the game, and the veteran lefty was excellent in his return. Wood only threw 53 pitches in his lone minor-league rehab appearance, which meant he was on a fairly limited pitch count Saturday night. Yet despite the restriction, Wood only needed 67 pitches to complete five shutout innings. He struck out four and allowed just three baserunners on a trio of singles over the course of his outing.
Dodgers rookie Bobby Miller went toe-to-toe with Wood for the first four innings of the game, breezing through the Giants lineup. A first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Louisville, Miller has been excellent since receiving his big-league promotion. Entering the day, Miller had allowed just two runs across 23 innings pitched in four starts.
However, things began to unravel for Miller (and the Dodgers) in the top of the fifth inning. Giants center fielder Luis Matos (Giants preseason #4 prospect) started the inning by working a lead-off walk. He quickly stole second base (his first career big-league steal) and advanced to third on a pickoff throw from Miller that went into center field. With the game tied at zero, the Dodgers brought the infield. Giants veteran Brandon Crawford took advantage of the situation and poked a soft line drive over the infield for an RBI single. Crawford would finish the day 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Already trailing 1-0, Miller put another runner on base when he hit Casey Schmitt (Giants preseason #3 prospect) with a pitch. With two runners on base, LaMonte Wade Jr. pounced on a first-pitch curveball from Miller to bust things open with a three-run homer. It was Wade's ninth home run of the season and gave the Giants a 4-0 lead.
As it turned out, San Francisco's bats were only beginning to awaken. Miller returned to the mound in the top of the sixth and once again walked the lead-off hitter (Mike Yastrzemski). A single by Matos and Crawford allowed another run to score and ultimately led Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to remove Miller from the game with two outs and two runners on base.
Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia walked Wade to load the bases for designated hitter Joc Pederson. However, Giants manager Gabe Kapler called upon right-handed hitter J.D. Davis to pinch-hit for Pederson.
Davis has been out of the lineup with a twisted ankle but was available off the bench. He made sure he could give his ankle a break, blasting a grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Vesia. Davis' 10th home run of the season extended the Giants lead to 9-0, and allowed them to go into cruise control.
Rather than using a high-leverage arm, Kapler turned to long reliever Tristan Beck (Giants preseason #19 prospect) with a massive lead. Beck, who was recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, allowed singles to the first two batters he faced but escaped the jam unscathed. He went on to record his second career save, completing four shutout innings.
Patrick Bailey (Giants preseason #21 prospect) lined a two-RBI double to right-center field in the top of the seventh and came around to score on another RBI hit from Wade. By the end of the inning, the Giants led 12-0. And they still weren't done.
Matos led off the top of the ninth with another walk before a David Villar double, Wade single, and Davis single brought three more runs in to score. It was 15-0, and the Dodgers would need a pair of touchdowns to get back in the ballgame.
Wade finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with a walk, a trio of runs, and five RBI. Matos was 2-for-4 with two walks and four runs scored.
The vibes are immaculate in the SF Giants locker room. They will look to complete a sweep of the Dodgers tomorrow afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM Pacific. Giants ace Logan Webb will face off against Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin.
