Giants hitters and bullpen are too much for Dodgers in 9-3 victory

McDonald got hit hardest in the 4th inning, when the Dodgers led off the inning with four straight singles, all off of sinkers. The Giants escaped down only 2-1 thanks to an Adames-to-Arraez-to-Schmidt double play.

The Giants countered with three straight singles off lefty Alex Vesia (1-1) from Jung Hoo Lee, Luis Arraez, and Casey Schmidt, who reached base four times Monday. Devers drew a seven-pitch, bases-loaded walk to give the Giants a 4-3 lead before “Big Willy Style” drove in Arraez and Schmidt, just the two of them.

Devers started the scoring with a second-inning homer off starter Rory Sasaki, who had one of his better outings of the season by giving up three runs and six hits and striking out five. Like his walk, this came on a 3-2 pitch, the 8th pitch of the at-bat. Devers nearly fouled out on the previous pitch, but Hernandez got distracted by a Dodgers official holding a folding chair. One pitch later, he made Sasaki and the chair-wielding man pay.

Devers missed on a bases-loaded opportunity in the 3rd, where the Giants loaded the bases in unusual fashion. Rodriguez drew a walk and then stole second when Lee struck out, swinging and missing so badly he threw his bat down the first-base line. He went to third on an Arraez single but didn’t score after Sasaki beaned Schmidt and Sasaki retired Devers and Heliot Ramos.

In the 6th, the Giants showed off some excellent baserunning and some less excellent baserunning. Schmidt singled and took third on a Devers single, with Devers hustling to second when the throw went to third. Ramos followed with a two-run double down the line.

In a very Heliot Ramos sequence, he went to third on a deep fly ball, then got thrown out at home by roughly 20 feet on a Matt Chapman groundout.

Was that the only Giant thrown out at the plate? Heavens no. Harrison Bader doubled in the 8th and made it to third on a delayed start when Rodriguez grounded out to Muncy and Freddie Freeman’s throw back to third went high. One pitch later, Lee grounded to first and Bader was tagged out in a rundown.

The Giants got some insurance in the 8th inning when Schmidt walked and stole second (two steals in one game?!?). An intentional walk to Devers was followed by an unintentional walk to Ramos, an Adames single, and another walk, this time to Chapman.

The Giants rounded out the scoring with an RBI groundout from Rodriguez. Poor Lee was the second Giant hit in the game, but at least he only got nailed by a curveball. That made four walks and a hit batsmen in one inning from Wyatt Mills, who may not be long for the Dodgers roster.

The bullpen went 3.2 innings and only gave up a single, with Keaton Winn and JT Brubaker closing it out. The Dodgers have lost three straight, the Giants have won three out of four, and the Giants’ big hitters are mostly hitting again. That’s what we call a Hollywood Echo Park ending!