Webb spins gem as Giants blank reigning champs
SAN FRANCISCO — Logan Webb struck out 10 while pitching masterfully in his postseason debut, Buster Posey hit a two-run homer that held up, and the 107-win Giants blanked the defending World Series champion Dodgers 4-0 Friday night in the opener of their NL Division Series.
Those two Giants standouts summed up this year perfectly for the NL West champs: A brilliant performance by the young righthander supported by a veteran catcher who has shined on this big October stage so many times before.
Webb credited Posey’s presence with helping him excel.
“Just having him back there, honestly,” Webb said. “He’ll calm me down.”
Kris Bryant and Brandon Crawford also homered to back a combined five-hitter by Webb and a pair of relievers.
Everybody knows this matchup between centuryold rivals takes the best-offive playoff series to another level. They finished with baseball’s two best records, the division title coming down to the final day as the Dodgers wound up one game back with 106 wins, ending their run of eight consecutive NL West crowns.
That meant Los Angeles had to get by the Cardinals in the wild-card game Wednesday night, then fly straight to the Bay Area, where a loud crowd packed Oracle Park.
“The energy today was awesome,” Webb said.
The Dodgers will try to even the series when they send 20-game winner Julio Urias to the mound for Game 2 on Saturday night opposite Giants All-Star Kevin Gausman.
Webb waved his pitching hand walking off to a rousing ovation in the eighth after a two-out single by Mookie Betts. He didn’t walk a batter while outpitching Walker Buehler.
“Obviously it’s on me to try to create some momentum and I kind of sucked that out of our dugout,” Buehler said.
Tyler Rogers relieved for the final out in the eighth and Camilo Doval
worked the ninth.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler, making his own playoff debut on the dugout’s top step, had absolute confidence the 24-year-old Webb would shine in the biggest start of his life. Just last Sunday, Webb pitched the Giants past the Padres in the regular-season finale as San Francisco clinched its first division title since 2012. Webb hasn’t lost since May 5 at Colorado.
Brewers 2, Braves 1
In Milwaukee, Rowdy Tellez fouled off Charlie Morton’s pitch in a scoreless game, then headed toward the dugout for a deep breath and a new bat.
That was just the break the Brewers needed.
Tellez spoiled Morton’s gem by hitting a two-run homer in the seventh inning, leading the Brewers over the Braves 2-1 Friday in the opener of their NLDS.
“I’m still out of breath,” Tellez said. “It was a crazy moment.”
Corbin Burnes, Adrian Houser and Josh Hader
combined on a four-hitter that gave Milwaukee the early lead in this best-of-five series. Game 2 is Saturday in Milwaukee.
Former Brewer Orlando Arcia grounded to second with runners on the corners to end the game. That came after Milwaukee catcher Omar Narvaez — who combined with first baseman Tellez on a key first-inning double play — blocked Hader’s 1-2 pitch in the dirt to keep Freddie Freeman at third base.
Neither team produced much offense until the Brewers finally broke through in the seventh.
Morton (0-1), who had allowed just two singles, plunked Avisail Garcia with a 1-2 pitch to start the inning. Tellez then ripped another 1-2 offering from Morton over the center-field wall to break a scoreless tie.
“Even in those at-bats, I got them where I wanted to be,” Morton said. “I just didn’t finish them off. I hit Avi, and then I grooved one to Rowdy.”