AK’s Corner: Dodgers Answer Giant Blow-out with Series Victory

Before this past weekend’s showdown series with the San Francisco Giants, I commented that the Los Angeles Dodgers had rebounded from a brief six-game slump just in time. Of course, the Dodgers promptly started the series by getting blown out 9-0 on Friday night. Great call.

Sep 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) throws to the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of their MLB baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

Consequently, the Dodgers went into Saturday’s game clinging to a one-game lead in the NL West. With Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw set to take the mound in those respective games, the Dodgers had to feel good about their chances to clear the bitter taste of Friday night’s blowout from their mouths. I don’t think anyone could have ever imagined, however, that the Dodgers would hand the Giants an EPIC 17-0 beating in Saturday night’s game before finishing them off 4-2 on Sunday afternoon for a series victory and a three-game lead in the division.

So how exactly did the Dodgers erase the memory of a 9-0 Friday night blowout to crush the Giants 17-0? Well, just like the Giants the night before, the Dodgers scored early and often. With two outs and Yasiel Puig at third base in the top of the first inning, Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez had back-to-back RBI doubles, followed by a Carl Crawford RBI single, and after a Juan Uribe single, A.J. Ellis capped the four-run inning with another RBI single.

Sep 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan (16) is tagged out at home plate by Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis the first inning of their MLB baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

Greinke took care of the Giants in the bottom of the first inning, aided by Matt Kemp’s gunning down of Angel Pagan at home plate on a Buster Posey single, and in the top of the second, the onslaught continued. After Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig singled to start the inning, Tim Lincecum relieved a shell-shocked Tim Hudson (who suffered the shortest start of his 16-year career), but proceeded to give up three consecutive RBI hits to Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, and Hanley Ramirez, and Carl Crawford capped the four-run inning with a sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers could have rested on their laurels with an 8-0 lead, but proceeded to tack on another nine runs, including two on a Zack Greinke home run in the sixth inning. Amazingly, Greinke had missed a home run in the top of the fourth inning by a few feet, ending up with a double instead.

Sep 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) right is greeted at home plate by his catcher A.J. Ellis (17) after Greinke hit a RBI home run in the sixth inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers ended up setting records for: most hits ever recorded in a game at AT&T Park, most runs ever scored by a visitor at AT&T Park, and biggest shutout in the history of their rivalry with the Giants. The 17-0 shutout was also the worst suffered by the Giants in over 100 years. Yeah, let that sink in for a minute.

Of course, had the Dodgers ended up losing on Sunday, the epic blowout would have felt pretty meaningless. Thankfully, Clayton Kershaw was on the mound, and everyone knows that he NEVER loses in San Francisco. As I pointed out before the series started, Kershaw was 7-2 with a 0.69 ERA and 0.80 WHIP entering Sunday’s contest. So his final line of eight innings pitched, seven hits, one walk, and two earned runs allowed, with nine strikeouts, didn’t seem all that impressive. If THAT is considered a ‘mediocre’ start, you know you’re pretty damn good. In fact, Kershaw is now one of only three pitchers in the ‘Live Ball Era’ (since 1920) to have at least five consecutive seasons with 200-plus strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00 (joining Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver). But I digress.

The Dodgers again got off to a good start with two runs in the top of the second inning, but offense was scarce for both teams on Sunday. In the sixth inning, Matt Kemp essentially put the game away with a two-run home run. Kemp, by the way, was 4-for-8 on Saturday and Sunday with five RBIs. Gordon, Puig, and Ramirez also all had at least four hits on Saturday and Sunday to help the Dodgers rebound from Friday’s night’s blowout.

Sep 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig (66) scores off a double by Matt Kemp (not pictured) in the second inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

So now the Dodgers head to Colorado for three games and Chicago for four games before returning home for their final six games of the season. With both the Rockies and the Cubs near the bottom of the National League standings, the Dodgers would consider anything less than a 5-2 week a serious disappointment. With Hyun-jin Ryu leaving Friday night’s disastrous start early with a sore left shoulder (and with him likely to miss the final two weeks of the regular season), however, the Dodgers will have to make do with starting pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Carlos Frias in three of those games. Given how well the team has been playing during the past 10 days, let’s just hope that their momentum will make up for the temporary loss of Ryu.