Dodgers Win Series as Tim Lincecum and Giants Triple Over Themselves

Dodgers 6 13 0

Giants 2 9 0

WP- Wright (2-2)

LP- Lincecum (2-3)

This afternoon we learned that Juan Rivera had a MRI, and it was found that he has a significant hamstring strain or tear behind his left knee. He was placed on the 15-day DL, and prospect Scott Van Slyke has been called up from AAA Albuquerque. Rivera most likely will miss more than two weeks. Jerry Hairston Jr. was also scheduled to undergo a MRI to look at his hamstring strain. We will keep you updated on JHair’s prognosis. We also heard sad news that Dodger prospect Alfredo Silverio underwent Tommy John surgery. He has injuries stemming from a bad car accident which resulted in concussions as well. He is expected to be out at least 12 months.

The Dodgers looked to fend off The Freak tonight and hopefully pick up a series win against their rivals. I won’t continue the hotly argued debate that went in to the late hours last night regarding bunting. I’m generally ant-bunting unless your pitcher is up to bat or perhaps if you are Brett Butler. You should play to win at home and tie on the road, and it’s very early in the season. So there is no reason why you shouldn’t have your number two hitter swinging away. With Matt Kemp on deck behind Ellis, he would have seen some good pitches. Anyhow, back to tonight’s match.

Chad Billingsley opens up the game by dishing up a single up the middle to Gregor Blanco. Emmanuel Burriss strikes out swinging as Blanco steals second. Melky Cabrera is badly fooled on an off-speed pitch, and he strikes out swinging. Buster Posey flies out to left center field where Abreu makes a one-handed catch, and he almost drops the ball.

Tim Lincecum starts off the bottom of the first by striking out Dee Gordon. Adam Kennedy draws a one-out walk. Matt Kemp strikes out, and he seems frustrated as he heads back to the dugout. Andre Ethier lines a base hit to left with two out. Bobby Abreu strikes out to end the inning, and Lincecum ends up striking out the side after making 24 pitches in the inning.

Brandon Belt leads off the second inning for the Giants with a big whiff. Billingsley then follows that up by walking Nate Schierholtz. With Joaquin Arias in the box, A.J. Ellis makes a very nice throw to catch Schierholtz attempting to steal second. Bills then walks Arias to put a runner right back at first base. Brandon Crawford singles. Arias, who was running on the play, makes it to third. Tim Lincecum grounds to short on a 3-2 count, and Dee Gordon back hands it and double clutches the ball before throwing to first. This allows Lincecum to reach safely. The run is brought in giving Timmy the RBI, 1-0 Giants. Billingsley strikes out Blanco, and the inning is finally over after Bills has now made 51 pitches.

The Dodgers start off the bottom of the second by doing the same thing they did in the first-striking out. Juan Uribe whiffs for the first out. Loney comes up with his signature groundball for out #2. A.J. Ellis goes down on strikes.

In the top of the third Burriss grounds out, then Melky Cabrera triples to center as the ball bounces around Kemp. Posey singles Cabrera in, 2-0 Giants. Brandon Belt grounds in to a force. Schierholtz and Arias get back-to-back singles. Luckily Schierholtz is thrown out at second base on a heads up play by Kemp *TOOTBLAN Alert* as he was rounding the bag on the Arias hit, and the run at the plate (Belt) doesn’t count.

In the Dodgers’ half of the third, Billingsley leads off with a single. Dee Gordon grounds in to a double play. Adam Kennedy bloops a little flare in to shallow left field to bring up Kemp. Matt Kemp, who seems to be slumping a teeny bit, strikes out for the second time on the night.

Bills walks Crawford who leads the fourth inning off. Lincecum’s sacrifice bunt advances Crawford to second. Blanco strikes out for the second time of the night. Burriss draws a two-out walk which spurs Rick Honeycutt to make a trip out to the mound to talk to Bills. Cabrera’s slow roller is scooped up by Dee who manages not to bobble it this time, and he gets Melky out at first.

Tim Lincecum has a meltdown in the bottom of the fourth, and the Dodgers take advantage. Andre Ethier crushes a leadoff double to the right field corner in the bottom of the fourth. That’s Dre’s 9th double on the season. Abreu follows up with a single to center giving the Dodgers runners at first and third with nobody out. Side note: you can really see how plump Uribe looks when compared to Lincecum when he’s up to bat. Uribe smokes a groundball to third, and Arias makes a nice play to save a double but he falls down while attempting to throw allowing Ethier to score and Abreu to advance to second, 2-1 Giants. A wild pitch from Tim Lincecum while Loney is at bat allows the runners to advance to second and third. Still nobody out. Loney of course strikes out. A.J. Ellis walks. Tony Gwynn Jr. comes in to pinch-hit for Chad Billingsley. Bills looks very mad in the dugout that he’s not going to be able to go back out for the fifth inning. He takes off his batting gloves angrily. Tony Gwynn then hits a bases-clearing triple to right! Schierholtz was playing toward center. The Dodgers now take the lead 4-2! Gordon and Kennedy make out to end the inning.

Chad Billingsley goes only 4 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts on 85 pitches.

Now that Bills is out, the bullpen must pitch five long innings. I’m not too confident. Jamey Wright comes in to pitch in relief for the Dodgers in the fifth, and has a very nice 1-2-3 inning while striking out both Posey and Schierholtz.

Lincecum strikes out Matt Kemp for the third time to start the bottom of the fifth. Abreu doubles with two outs, but Uribe flies out to wrap up the fifth inning.

Wright comes in for his second inning of work in the sixth, and sends down the Giants in order again. He strikes out Crawford along the way. Wright can sometimes pitch downright good.

Tim Lincecum pitched 5 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts on 101 pitches.

Travis Blackley comes out of the pen for the Giants for the bottom of the sixth. With one out, A.J. Ellis triples off the center field wall! Ellis belly flops in to third as Blanco falls down!  Scott Van Slyke comes up for his very first MLB at bat as a pinch hitter for Jamey Wright. He’s a big guy and listed as 6’5″ 250 lbs. Van Slyke promptly breaks in to the Majors by breaking his bat on a base hit up the middle! That would be his first career hit and RBI as Ellis scores. 5-2 Dodgers. Gordon grounds out, and Scott takes second on the play. Adam Kennedy’s long fly ball is the third out.

Ronald Belisario is asked to pitch the seventh for the Dodgers. With one out, Burriss singles and Cabrera walks. A wild pitch by Belisario allows the runners to advance to second and third. Posey strikes out, and Belt grounds out. Belisario narrowly gets out of the jam.

Clay Hensley is the third pitcher of the night for the Giants, and he sends the Dodgers down in order.  Matt Kemp leads off the bottom of the seventh, and he lines out to third. Ethier grounds out, and Abreu strikes out.

Josh Lindblom comes in to pitch the eighth. Schierholtz and Arias whiff consecutively. Crawford singles with two outs. Dee goes all the way out in to left field to catch a pop up by Aubrey Huff for the third out. Although Dee made that catch, he sometimes worries me when he gets in the way of the other fielders on some plays.

Juan Uribe begins the bottom of the eighth with a double to left center. Loney singles in Uribe for the Dodgers’ sixth run of the night. A.J. Ellis reaches on a little infield single along the third base line. Chris Capuano comes up to bat since the Dodgers are low on bench players. Cappy successfully sacrifices over the runners to second and third. Nice job Cappy, that’s how bunting should be done. Dee Gordon reaches on a fielder’s choice, and Loney is out at home. Adam Kennedy walks to load the bases, and here comes Matt Kemp. Steve Edlefson is brought in by Bruce Bochy to pitch to Kemp who grounds in to a force out, and he ends up going 0 for 5 on the night for the first time since 2009.

Kenley Jansen comes in to close up shop in the ninth. Gregor Blanco walks to lead off. Burriss pops out. Cabrera and Posey strikes out for the final two outs.

Great win, and we take the first Dodgers/Giants series of the season. The Dodgers will play the Giants in San Francisco the next meet up at the end of June. The Dodgers are now 20-11.

Tomorrow the Dodger’s have a day off before the Rockies come in to town for the weekend. Check back tomorrow for continual Dodger coverage on Lasorda’s Lair.

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