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Corey Seager Hits Birthday Homer as Dodgers Split Series with Giants

Corey Seager started the game with a home run on his 23rd birthday, and his teammates scored four runs in the top of the 10th as the Dodgers defeated the rival Giants, 5-1, on Thursday afternoon in San Francisco.

It's your birthday and you can homer if you want to. 

Corey Seager started the game with a home run on his 23rd birthday, and his teammates scored four runs in the top of the 10th as the Dodgers defeated the rival Giants, 5-1, on Thursday afternoon in San Francisco.

"It's a big win for us," admitted Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts after the game. "To come out of this and salvage a split and now get to go back home...there was some good things."

It was the second straight extra-innings game for the Dodgers after not appearing in any until Wednesday. 

Julio Urias was sensational in his 2017 debut after he was called up before the game.

The Mexican left-hander allowed just one run on four hits in 5 and 2/3 innings with four walks and four strikeouts. 

"I felt great, thank god," Urias said through a translator. "It went better than I anticipated."

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The 20-year-old sophomore went 5-2 in four stints with the Dodgers last season, but did not start the season with the team as the front office wants to limit his innings in 2017. 

"What I did last year was able to help me this year," continued Urias. "I feel like I'm continuing to build confidence."

Kenley Jansen (1-0) got the win, striking out the side in the ninth inning, as the Dodgers managed a split of the four-game series. The loser was Cory Gearrin (0-1), who walked the only batter he faced leading off the 10th inning.

After losing in 10 innings 16 hours earlier, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the top of the 10th with no outs and took the lead on an RBI single by Andrew Toles. Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk added to the lead.

"Don't strike out," joked Toles when asked by Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNetLA of what was his mindset during that at-bat. "I was just trying to put it in play and do whatever I could to score the run."

The Giants scored their only run on a walk, a two-base throwing error by Urias on a pickoff attempt and a single by Christian Arroyo that nicked Urias' glove on its way to center field. That hit knocked Urias out of the game.

Giants starter Matt Moore allowed one run and two hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out eight. The only run he allowed came on a first-inning home run by Seager, who was celebrating his 23rd birthday.

Seager became the first Dodger since Matt Kemp to homer against the rival Giants on their birthday.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner will start rehab on Friday, but manager Bruce Bochy said "he's got some work ahead of him to get ready." Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, bruised ribs and sprained his pitching shoulder last week in a dirt bike accident and is expected to be out about two months. . OF Denard Span was scheduled for an MRI on his shoulder and wasn't able to do any rehab activities Thursday. He is on the 10-day DL and has not played since last Saturday, when he crashed into the outfield wall in Denver.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Open a six-game home stand with RHP Kenta Maeda on the mound against Philadelphia. In his last start, Maeda allowed a career-worst six runs and nine hits in five innings at Arizona.

Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija makes the start in the opener of a three-game weekend home series against San Diego. Samardzija has lost each of his four starts this season and has a 7.40 ERA, the highest among NL starters.

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