© Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants (12-14) were blown out by the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-13) in the first game of their doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
Fresh off the paternity list, Chris Stratton labored through his shortened start and the Dodgers took full advantage of his uncharacteristic struggles.
Back-to-back walks to start the game eventually scored on consecutive RBI singles by Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson. Stratton walked Austin Barnes to load the bases with one out and struck out Yasiel Puig, but walked in a run before the end of the inning, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
As for Walker Buehler, he saw the batter’s box before he saw mound.
After striking out to end the top of the first, Buehler replaced his batting gloves for his regular glove and went to work against the Giants in his second career start. He pitched five innings, limiting the Giants to two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six.
Those two runs allowed by Buehler made for a close game early on. Gregor Blanco started the Giants off with a leadoff single. Shortly after, he stole second and reached third as Brandon Crawford grounded out to second base.
From there, Blanco easily scored on Pablo Sandoval’s RBI single. Andrew McCuctchen reached third after walking his away aboard and scored on a wild pitch thrown by Buehler.
Stratton returned to the mound in the second, but was pulled before the end of the inning as the Dodgers refueled their lead.
After Chris Taylor led off the inning with a home run, back-to-back triples by Bellinger and Joc Pederson put the Dodgers ahead 6-2.
As Pederson raced to third, Bruce Bochy was already on his way to the mound to bring Stratton’s to an end after he allowed six runs on six hits and four walks over 1.1 innings.
Once Buehler’s outing came to an end, it appeared as if the Dodgers bullpen would keep the Giants quiet until the second game of the doubleheader. Ross Stripling pitched a clean inning in the sixth, striking out one, but Alen Hanson, in his first major league game this season, broke the offensive silence once Pedro Baez entered in the seventh.
First at-bat as a Giant ✅
First home run as a Giant ✅Welcome to the team, @AlenHanson92!!! pic.twitter.com/mLSrp2Gtaw
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 28, 2018
After Derek Law singled for his first major league hit, Blanco followed suit and set the table for Hanson, whose home run barely got over the wall in right center field. Although the Dodgers challenged, the ruling on the field was upheld and Hanson cut the Giants’ deficit down to 12-5.
Nick Handley joined the homer-hitting party the following inning, starting the eighth with a solo shot, but his long ball came on the coattails of a three-run inning from the Dodgers. The Dodgers immediately made up for their lost insurance runs they lost on Hanson’s home run, scoring three with RBI hits from Bellinger and Pederson to remain ahead 15-5.
The Giants rewarded those who stayed until the top of the ninth inning as Pablo Sandoval came on to pitch.
Yes, you heard that right. Sandoval, the position player, took the mound and pitched a perfect inning.
Sandoval’s first pitch clocked in at 83 miles per hour. His second pitch was hit by Muncy to second base for his first recorded out. His third fell into the strike zone and led to Yasmani Grandal grounding out. Taylor grounded out to end the inning, giving Sandoval a 1-2-3 inning on 11 pitches in his first career pitching appearance.
You never heard a louder ballpark whose home team was losing by nine.
Since Stratton’s start went unexpectedly short, the Giants relied on Roberto Gomez and Law to preserve the bullpen for the remainder of the doubleheader. Although both were knocked around by the Dodgers, they worked a combined 6.1 innings, Gomez throwing 73 pitches and Law tossing 63, to keep the bullpen from being overworked.
Gomez entered the game and cleaned up the second inning with a strikeout and inning-ending fly out. Yet, it wasn’t long before he ran into trouble in the third.
Gomez recorded two quick outs after giving up a leadoff double to Max Muncy. It appeared as if he extinguished the threat by striking out Chase Utley with a pitch well in the strike zone. Instead, it was ruled a ball and Utley proceeded to double home Muncy.
When Corey Seager, the following batter, singled Utley home, Giants pitching coach Curt Young used a mound visit to talk things over with Gomez. As he headed back to the dugout, he had some choice words for the home plate umpire, probably pertaining to that uncalled third strike on Utley, and was ejected.
Although the Dodgers scored three runs off Gomez with six hits and one walk, he rose to the occasion made by Stratton’s short outing. Having to resort to their bullpen in the second inning, Gomez ate up 3.1 innings and helped keep the bullpen from being overworked.
In much of the same way as Gomez relieved Stratton, Law entered the game in the fifth and put away the Dodgers, who had two runners on with two outs. His allowed five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.
Fortunately for the Giants, their next opportunity to wipe away the bitter taste left by their devastating defeat is scheduled for later tonight. The Giants wrap up their doubleheader against the Dodgers at 7:05 PM with Johnny Cueto taking on Alex Wood.