SF Giants lose to Dodgers in extras 4-3 as rain falls at Oracle Park
The SF Giants are happy to be done seeing the Dodgers this season. The Dodgers finished off a sweep on Sunday with a 4-3 victory over their California rivals. After the loss, San Francisco finished the year 4-15 against the Dodgers.
Both teams dealt with a rare rainstorm at Oracle Park that caused passing showers throughout the game, including several intense bursts of rain. There was a 20-minute rain delay in the top of the fourth inning, but otherwise, the game went off without a hitch.
The Dodgers got the scoring started in the top of the fourth inning. With rainfall intensifying, Giants starter Alex Cobb struggled to locate his pitches early in the inning and walked Freddie Freeman before allowing an RBI double to Justin Turner.
Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney was fantastic for the Dodgers. After three perfect innings, though, the Giants were in prime position to tie the game in the fourth. After a leadoff single by Thairo Estrada, Wilmer Flores hit a ball to center field that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Estrada had been running on the pitch and would have scored easily if the ball had stayed in the park. Instead, he was forced to stop at third.
The Giants loaded the bases with one out, but Heaney kicked his fastball into another gear and struck out Evan Longoria and Joey Bart to retire the side.
Giants hitters struck out 17 times on Sunday, their highest single-game total of the season.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to Caleb Ferguson in the fifth inning, who surrendered a double to Lewis Brinson. Brinson evened the score on a throwing error by Trea Turner.
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The Dodgers quickly retook the lead, however. Brinson slipped on the wet grass in the top of the sixth, turning a routine flyout by Trea Turner into a lead-off double. Freeman brought Turner home with an RBI single on a groundball through the right side of the infield to bring the score to 2-1.
In the end, Cobb surrendered a pair of runs on four hits and three walks while recording three strikeouts. Given the rainy conditions and the rain delay in the fourth inning, Cobb did a commendable job.
From there, Giants relievers Scott Alexander, Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval combined to throw 3.2 shutout innings in relief, giving their offense a chance to get back in front.
Phil Bickford and Evan Phillips shut out the Giants in the sixth and seventh inning, but Alex Vesia immediately ran into trouble. Vesia walked recently promoted prospect Heliot Ramos and Estrada to start the eighth.
Vesia struck out Joc Pederson and induced a warning-track flyout from Flores. However, J.D. Davis came through with an RBI double to right-center field that would have given the Giants the lead if it had not hopped over the wall.
Instead, Vesia escaped the eighth with a tied game intact. Roberts called upon closer Craig Kimbrel in the bottom of the ninth, who struck out a pair and did not allow a baserunner.
The Dodgers scored a run against John Brebbia in the top of the tenth with Mookie Betts driving in the extra-inning ghost runner. Brebbia walked the bases loaded with two outs and was replaced by southpaw Thomas Szapucki who walked in a run.
Dodgers reliever Andre Jackson entered with a two-run lead in the bottom of the tenth. He walked Estrada to start the inning and nearly gave up a walk-off homer to Joc Pederson. Instead, Betts hauled it in at the warning track in right-center field. Flores drove in the ghost runner with an RBI single.
Jackson struck out Davis, but walked Longoria to load the bases for LaMonte Wade Jr. Roberts made one final pitching change, calling on left-handed reliever Justin Bruihl. Wade blasted a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall that curved just foul. Instead, Two pitches later, Wade grounded out to end the game.
Ramos was the standout of the Giants young players on Sunday, making an amazing diving catch in right field to rob Trea Turner of an extra-base hit that would have scored a run. At the plate, he was 0-for-3 with two runs, a walk, and two strikeouts.
The SF Giants will travel to Denver tomorrow to begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 PM Pacific.
