Giants’ pitching seals sweep

time — and was more efficient. He finished with 98 pitches in six innings, just 17 fouled off, and instead of using his fastball 65% of the time, he wound up at 53% while using his slider 43% of the time.

In so doing, Rodón limited the star-studded Dodgers to two hits. He got 10 swinging strikes with his fastball, 10 looking (plus 11 fouls), and the slider induced six swinging strikes, nine looking and six foul balls. Los Angeles twice got leadoff doubles against Rodón only to come away with nothing, in large part because he followed up with an immediate strikeout, getting Justin Turner in the second and Cody Bellinger in the fifth.

John Brebbia, Leone and Jake McGee each worked a scoreless inning to close out the victory. The Giants’ bullpen was sensational in the series, allowing one run in 13 innings — 16 if you count Sam Long’s three innings Saturday in starting a bullpen game.

“They’ve had ice in their veins this weekend, haven’t they?” Rodón said.

“I’m not surprised,” Leone said. “We did it last year; we’ve got the same group back.”

The Giants had the best bullpen ERA in baseball last season (2.99), but entered Sunday with a 4.13 ERA.

Slater wasn’t sure how Sunday might go; he’d slammed a foul ball off his knee the night before. Then he knocked a leadoff homer off Julio Urías, Slater’s third career leadoff shot. Two batters later, Mike Yastrzemski went deep to left.

Slater also made two nice catches in the first two innings, one to rob Chris Taylor of a hit on a sinking liner in the second, and a marvelous sprinting catch in center with a man at first and one out in the eighth, running down Will Smith’s drive into the gap in right.

“It just kept tailing away and I didn’t think he was going to get there,” said Leone, who was on the mound. “The next thing you know, he’s made an unbelievable play.”

One batter later, Turner whistled a ball past a diving Yastrzemski in right and Slater did a whale of a job backing up, getting to the ball quickly and holding runner Trea Turner at third.

San Francisco has taken three of the first five games between the two teams this season, and holds a 13-11 edge in the regular season since the start of 2021, with the Dodgers outscoring the Giants 96-92. The Giants have won the past four series against Los Angeles at Oracle Park in the regular season.

The Giants are in third place, three games behind the Padres, who lost Sunday.

“I think it’s a solid position to be in,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “But everybody in this room has been around the game long enough to know that divisions aren’t won in June.”

Ouch: Taylor, playing left for the Dodgers, slammed face-first into the wall going after a drive by Yastrzemski in the eighth and couldn’t hang onto the ball, as he landed hard on the track. His sunglasses cut his forehead and Taylor left the game pressing a cloth to his face. He was expected to require stitches but not a trip to the injured list. Gavin Lux took his spot in left for the final inning.

Wynns’ day: Austin Wynns got his second start at catcher for the Giants and while for the first time in his three games with the Giants he did not record a hit, he walked to load the bases in the seventh and he did a strong job behind the plate.

Primary catcher Curt Casali said before the game that he has been impressed with Wynns, who was acquired Tuesday from the Phillies.

“He’s super intense, really thoughtful,” Casali said. “He pays attention, he’s asking interesting questions, he’s supportive. He’s been locked in in the game and his at-bats have been really, really good.”

Wynns took a backswing to the head in the fourth and was examined by a trainer but stayed in.