The Dodgers have not faced the Giants since July 7, but Thursday marked the first of seven games the rivals will play to finish off the season. The Giants have been eliminated from playoff contention, but they still put up a good fight in an extra-innings 3-2 loss to Los Angeles.
Zack Greinke had a good outing, but a high pitch count in the early innings drove him out of the game after six frames. After the game Don Mattingly talked about his high pitch count.
"It started off with Pagan in the very first (inning), he's fouling off balls and Scutaro is fouling off balls, but he gets out of the first clean on 20 pitches. They were making him work."
Greinke finished the game with four hits and two walks allowed for one run, with five strikeouts. The only run he gave up came off a solo shot to Hunter Pence.
The Dodgers lost a big bat in the seventh inning when Hanley Ramirez was pulled from the game. He was removed for "precautionary reasons" with left hamstring tightness, and from the way Mattingly sounded post-game, he is not expect to start Friday.
The score remained tied until the seventh when A.J. Ellis led off the inning with a single. Dee Gordon was brought in to run for him, easily stole second base, and was bunted over to third.
With two outs Yasiel Puig doubled him home to break the tie and put the Dodgers up 2-1. This was a perfect example of the effect Dee Gordon can have in a game, and why he should is being considered for the playoff roster despite spending most of the season in the minors.
The Dodgers used six pitchers out of the bullpen, and needed three to get out of the eighth inning. Chris Withrow and Paco Rodriguez loaded the bases, leaving Ronald Belisario to get the final two outs of the inning. He got Hunter Pence to ground to third where Juan Uribe turned a fantastic double play to end the threat.
Kenley Jansen had a rough night in the ninth, giving up three hits and two pass balls for the game-tying run. It was his first blown save since June 29.
The Dodgers could not score in the ninth, but got the job done in extra innings. In the tenth, Carl Crawford led off with a single. It was his first hit of the game, and it came just in time. Nick Punto bunted him over to second and Adrian Gonzalez drove one to center field to score Crawford for the walk-off RBI.
The walk off was their eighth this season, shrinks their magic number to five, and keeps the Dodgers two games back of the Braves for the top spot in the NL. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound on Friday against Madison Bumgarner as the Dodgers look to get one step closer to clinching the NL West.
