Dodgers lose
Bellinger’s throwing error in the eighth inning gives the Giants a 2-1victory in San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO >> The Giants dressed in creamsicle. But it was the Dodgers who melted.
Playing for the fifth time in eight days and tied into the bottom of the eighth inning, a throwing error by Cody Bellinger in his first start at first base this season opened the door for the winning run as the San Francisco Giants beat the Dodgers 2-1 Tuesday night at Oracle Park.
The Dodgers have lost five of these crucial NL West showdown games — the last three after being tied or leading in the eighth inning. The latest gut punch pushed the Dodgers three games behind the first-place Giants (who wore their aggressively orange “City Connect” uniforms Tuesday).
The most reliable member of the Dodgers’ bullpen set them up for disaster this time.
Blake Treinen came on in the seventh inning with two on and two out and got pinch-hitter Steven Duggar to pop out.
In the eighth, he walked the first two batters, Buster Posey and Mike Yastrzemski, bringing up Darin Ruf with no outs. Ruf hit a ground ball to second baseman Max Muncy. Muncy fielded it cleanly, thought about tagging the runner from first but opted to throw to first base for at least one certain out.
Bellinger handled the throw, looked to second but inexplicably chose to fire a throw to third base, behind Posey. His throw sailed high over third base and into the netting in front of the seats. Posey trotted home with the winning run.
The decisive error was the 63rd by the Dodgers this season (third in the National League) and the decisive run was the 57th unearned run allowed by them this season (the most in the MLB).
But an offense put the Dodgers on that eighth-inning tightrope.
With a rotating cast of regulars unavailable — Muncy (paternity leave) and Bellinger (hamstring) returned Tuesday, Mookie Betts (hip), Gavin Lux (hamstring) and Corey Seager (hand) — the Dodgers’ offense has been sporadic at best over the past week, managing just 26 runs in their past eight games.
Giants starter Logan Webb held them hitless through four innings, retiring 12 of the first 13 Dodgers batters (only a Justin Turner walk broke things up).
Bellinger led off the fifth inning with a single through the shift and moved to second on a groundout. He scored — running cautiously — when Billy McKinney hit a drive into the right-center field gap. McKinney was out trying to stretch it to a double.
The Dodgers had another chance in the eighth inning when Luke Raley led off with a single and Chris Taylor doubled him to third with one out. But Muncy bounced a grounder to Ruf at first base. He went home to get Raley. Turner then flew out to end the threat.