Kiké Hernandez homered twice and doubled while driving in four runsfor the Dodgers off San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner, who lost the latest showdown withClayton Kershaw, 7-3, on Jackie Robinson Day on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
Hernandez led off the first inning with a home run projected by Statcast™ at 451 feet away from home.
"A Rickey rally," manager Dave Roberts said, comparing Hernandez's homer to those by leadoff hitter extraordinaire, Rickey Henderson.
Hernandez hit his second blast in the third inning and he saved two runs with a diving, two-out catch of Buster Posey's sinking line drive in left field. The Giants had tied the game with an unearned run that scored when a high Kershaw wild pitch tipped off the glove of catcherA.J. Ellis, after second baseman Howie Kendrick's fielding error.
Bumgarner said that Hernandez's first homer, which occurred on the first pitch, came on a delivery that hovered over the fat portion of home plate. The second came on a 2-0 count.
"I'd like it to be a pitch more up on his hands and make it tougher to get the barrel to," Bumgarner said. "You put yourself in a tough spot with 2-0, also."
Giants middle infielders Kelby Tomlinson and Joe Panik booted double-play grounders, resulting in a four-run fourth inning, with Hernandez doubling in two runs and former GiantCharlie Culberson singling home a pair. Culberson singled in his third run in the sixth after Tomlinson's second error of the game.
Kershaw is 17-7 against the Giants and 3-4 against Bumgarner.
"Kersh didn't have his best stuff tonight and I think he'll be the first to say that," Roberts said. "But the special thing about him, even when he's not at his best, if we make a play earlier it could have been a shutout. He still can dominate a baseball game when he isn't at his best."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Making the most: Culberson's second RBI hit chased Bumgarner. In his only other start this year, also in a game Bumgarner started, Culberson had the game-winning double in the 10th inning last Saturday in San Francisco. Both times he started at shortstop in place of Corey Seager.
Making the most: Culberson's second RBI hit chased Bumgarner. In his only other start this year, also in a game Bumgarner started, Culberson had the game-winning double in the 10th inning last Saturday in San Francisco. Both times he started at shortstop in place of Corey Seager.
Disappointing defense: The Giants entered Friday having committed just four errors in 10 games while ranking fifth in the National League with a .989 fielding percentage. They ruined that in the fourth inning, squandering two opportunities for inning-ending double plays. Tomlinson played Ellis' grounder off his glove and the usually reliable Panik made a poor attempt to shovel the ball to second base on Kershaw's grounder. More >
Better relief: The Dodgers bullpen was solid for the third consecutive game. Chris Hatcherreturned from the paternity list with a perfect inning and Joe Blanton followed with two strikeouts in a perfect inning.
QUOTABLE
"I don't get too caught up in it day to day, but days like this and you see people like Don Newcombe or Frank Robinson, it's an awe moment for me. I have a special opportunity and I'm always mindful of that, for sure." -- Roberts, on being the Dodgers' first minority manager
"I don't get too caught up in it day to day, but days like this and you see people like Don Newcombe or Frank Robinson, it's an awe moment for me. I have a special opportunity and I'm always mindful of that, for sure." -- Roberts, on being the Dodgers' first minority manager
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: Johnny Cueto, who would be the ace of many pitching staffs, will try to uphold that reputation when he confronts the Dodgers in Saturday's rematch at 6:10 p.m. PT. Cueto has had bad luck at Dodger Stadium, where he has lost four of five starts despite compiling a respectable 3.49 ERA.
Giants: Johnny Cueto, who would be the ace of many pitching staffs, will try to uphold that reputation when he confronts the Dodgers in Saturday's rematch at 6:10 p.m. PT. Cueto has had bad luck at Dodger Stadium, where he has lost four of five starts despite compiling a respectable 3.49 ERA.
Dodgers: Scott Kazmir, who served up three homers and six runs in four innings against the Giants in San Francisco last weekend, tries to regroup against Cueto, who allowed the Dodgers' five runs in the first inning then gave up only one more run over the next six innings.
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