San Francisco Giants shell Dodgers-move to within one game

Staff ace Madison Bumgarner pitched seven innings of shutout ball Friday night at AT&T Park, and the San Francisco Giants went on to shellack the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-0, reducing their deficit in the National League West to one game behind LA. Brandon Crawford ended a 46-game drought by hitting his ninth home run, a two run dinger, and Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run shot in the seventh to cap the run-scoring at nine.

The Giants wasted no time getting things started in the top of the first inning off of Hyun-Jin Ryu. With one out Joe Panik doubled down the right field line and Buster Posey followed with a double to left field, easily scoring Panik. Posey then scored himself a minute late on Hunter Pence’s single up the middle.

Pablo Sandoval flied out deep to center, allowing Pence to advance to third, and Joaquin Arias knocked in Pence with a single to right field. After a walk to Gregor Blanco, Brandon Crawford hit the third double of the inning to right field, scoring Arias. Madison Bumgarner struck out to end the inning with the score 4-0.

The Giants added two more in the fifth when Crawford hit his home run with Blanco aboard, and wrapped up the scoring in the seventh when Ishikawa hit his third round-tripper of the season with Blanco and Crawford aboard.

Bumgarner started for the Giants and was terrific, going seven innings, giving up no runs on three hits, with two walks and nine K’s. Along the way he struck out his 206th batter of the season, tying him on the all-time San Francisco Giants list of left-handers for most strikeouts in a season, and then he broke the record in the seventh inning with a strikeout of Juan Uribe.

Yasiel Puig had a single in Friday night’s game, one of only three LA hits. Mandatory Credit: ©Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Altogether, he had nine K’s on the night and has a total of 208 for the season. I have to tell you that I do not think that Bumgarner was giving any thought to how many strikeouts he had on the season during this game. You know Bumgarner was dialed in because he held Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp-combined-to one single.

Hyun-Jin Ryu started for the Dodgers and was rocked for four earned runs on five hits, with a walk and a strikeout, all in the first inning. He did not return after the first and was replaced by Chris Perez, who pitched the second inning, giving up two walks, but getting the side out without damage. There was never an explanation provided for Ryu’s early departure.

Carlos Frias came on in the third and worked three innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits, with a walk and two K’s. He was replaced in the sixth inning by Kevin Correia, who allowed a single to Hunter Pence, but got out of it when Pence was thrown out trying to steal. Correia went on to pitch the seventh also and almost escaped when he struck out Gregor Blanco to seemingly end the inning.

However, Correia’s pitch was in the dirt and got away from the catcher, and Blanco scampered down to first base. Crawford followed with a walk and Travis Ishikawa, batting for Bumgarner, walloped one into the water, capping the score at nine runs. Yimi Garcia closed out the eighth for the Dodgers.

Bumgarner left after seven innings with a pitch-count 0f 95 pitches. If the game had been close, he could have remained in the game. As it was, Juan Gutierrez took over and pitched the eighth and ninth, retiring all six batters he faced. This game left the Giants’ bullpen rested and ready to go, as opposed to that of the Dodgers, which had to provide seven innings of mop-up.

Every Giant had at least one hit except for Angel Pagan. Posey (single, double, BB), Pence (2 singles, on-base on an error), Arias (2 singles), and Crawford (HR, double, BB) had two hits apiece, and the numbers 6, 7, and 8 hitters in the lineup combined to get on base nine of the twelve plate appearances.

Blanco only had one single but managed to get on base all four trips to the plate, adding two walks and his sprint up the first-base line when the ball got away from A.J. Ellis, extending the inning for Ishikawa to eventually hit his homer. The win was a consummate victory by a team which has seen the bottom of the barrel and come back up to within one game of the top.

The Giants will get the opportunity to tie the Dodgers atop the NL West tomorrow night at AT&T Park, with Tim Hudson opposing Zack Greinke. The hunted has become the hunter, and LA is the prey. Maybe we’ll get to see if the Dodgers really bleed blue blood.

Brandon Crawford doubled and homered in Friday night’s game.