© Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
SAN FRANCISCO — On Sunday, the San Francisco Giants (14-14) sent fans home happy with a 4-2 victory over their arch rival Los Angeles Dodgers (12-15). By taking three out of four against the Dodgers, the Giants have won their last three series and stand within three games of the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ty Blach kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard in the first and after retiring the first two men in the bottom of the inning, Kenta Maeda was well on his way to do the same to the Giants. Nonetheless, the Giants took a 3-0 lead thanks to one swing of the bat from Evan Longoria.
Evan Longoria goes deep! #BeatLA pic.twitter.com/qcGL0WXW2t
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 29, 2018
On his next swing, Longoria did the next best thing, hitting his sixth home run of the year to tie Belt for the team lead.
Belt fell shy of regaining his lead on San Francisco’s home run list, but smashed a double in the third inning that bumped the Giants up to a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Blach cruised efficiently through his six innings of work. He started the seventh, but after Max Muncy beat the shift with a broken-bat single to start the inning, Blach was pulled from the game. He left to a standing ovation after holding the Dodgers to two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four.
Even when it appeared as if the Dodgers were geared to build a rally when Cody Bellinger led off the fifth with a double, Blach kept his composure with the help of his defense. He struck out Austin Barnes, then Brandon Crawford laid out to catch a low line drive from Kyle Farmer and doubled up Bellinger to end the inning.
Cool under pressure. @bcraw35, you are a gift to us all
Giants 4, Dodgers 1 | Top 7
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/vL4VzAcYFW
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) April 29, 2018
The Dodgers threatened again with a one-out double in the sixth. This time they cashed in against Blach, cutting their deficit down to 4-1.
Chris Taylor doubled into right field and scored as Enrique Hernandez’s single squeeze just out of Crawford’s reach. Although Matt Kemp singled to put runners on second and third, Blach struck out Yasmani Grandal to end the inning.
Sam Dyson relieved Blach in the seventh and allowed his inherited run to score, cutting the Giants’ lead down to 4-2. Tony Watson pitched the eighth, escaping a leadoff single unscathed, before Hunter Strickland saved his seventh game of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Next, the Giants will host the San Diego Padres for a three-game series, starting on Monday when Jeff Samardzija will face off against Eric Lauer.