San Francisco 5, LA Dodgers 0
When: 10:15 PM ET, Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
Temperature:
65°
Umpires:
Home -
Mike Estabrook, 1B -
Ed Hickox, 2B -
Paul Nauert, 3B -
Dana DeMuth
Attendance:
41112
By The Sports Xchange
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves looking ahead to next week's playoffs while also looking back on Tuesday's National League West-clinching win that extended their season.
Unfortunately for them, they also had a game Wednesday night.
The Dodgers' first day as NL West champs was not a pleasant one, as they were limited to two hits by San Francisco Giants right-hander Mike Leake in a 5-0 defeat.
The loss cost the Dodgers (88-70) a chance to tie the New York Mets (89-69) in the NL's overall standings, which will determine the home-field advantage in the first-round playoff matchup between the first-place finishers in the NL West and East.
The Dodgers and Giants conclude a four-game series Thursday before Los Angeles heads home to wrap up the regular season with three games against the San Diego Padres.
"It's human nature," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Wednesday's lackluster performance. "You hope the starter can get it going, but it was hard to get going.
"You go through a lot after a game like (Tuesday) night. There's built-up emotion."
Leake provided the type of outing the Giants were hoping for when they acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds on July 30.
The pending free agent, who had been just 1-5 since joining the Giants for what the club had hoped to be a run at a second consecutive World Series championship, allowed just shortstop Jimmy Rollins' fourth-inning single and left fielder Carl Crawford's ninth-inning infield hit in his first career shutout and fourth career complete game.
"I'm obviously disappointed," Leake said of falling short in the bid for the division title. "What I expected to give them, and what they were expecting me to give them ...
"It's tough to make the playoffs, especially when you have injuries. This team did a pretty good job, especially with what they were challenged with."
In authoring the Giants' 18th shutout of the season and fourth over the Dodgers, Leake (11-10) walked three and struck out one.
"This was the Mike Leake show," gushed Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "This was his best game. It's hard to beat that."
The right-hander took advantage of a Dodgers lineup that was without the club's leader in home runs and RBIs, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who was one of eight Los Angeles starters from the division-clinching win who did not start Wednesday.
Gonzalez pinch-hit in the fifth inning with a runner on third base and struck out.
"Their guy can pitch," Mattingly said. "He changes speeds, keeps you off-balance. Give him credit."
Third baseman Matt Duffy and first baseman Nick Noonan belted home runs, and second baseman Kelby Tomlinson had an RBI double for the Giants (83-75), who were formally eliminated from playoff contention with an 8-0 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday night.
The home run by Noonan, off Dodgers reliever Joel Peralta, was the first of his career. It increased the Giants' lead to 5-0 in the seventh inning.
"A lot of relief," Noonan said of the home run, which came in his 73rd major league game and 121st major league at-bat, "never having that goose egg up there anymore."
Duffy, a leading candidate for NL Rookie of the Year honors, collected three of the Giants' eight hits. He leads all NL rookies with 167 hits, and is now batting .300.
He also scored the Giants' final run, his second of the night, on right fielder Jarrett Parker's single in the eighth inning.
The loss was the Dodgers' fifth in the past six games and their 11th in 18 meetings with the Giants this season.
In beating the Dodgers for the eighth time in nine games at AT&T Park, the Giants took advantage of Mike Bolsinger's wildness to jump on the LA starter early.
After getting ahead 0-2 on the Giants' second batter, Tomlinson, Bolsinger threw four consecutive balls to walk him, then a fifth straight to fall behind Duffy.
When Bolsinger grooved his next pitch, Duffy smacked a two-run shot to left field.
Tomlinson increased the lead to 3-0 in the third with an RBI double that scored center fielder Angel Pagan, who led off the inning with a single.
Bolsinger (6-6) gave up three runs on four hits in his 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
NOTES: Only INF Corey Seager started both Tuesday and Wednesday for the Dodgers, and even he changed positions, moving from shortstop to third base. ... Should the Dodgers and New York Mets finish with identical records, the Mets would earn home-field advantage in the first-round playoff series by virtue of their 4-3 edge in the regular season. ... The Dodgers announced before the game that RHP Zack Greinke was selected as the winner of the annual Roy Campanella Award, given to the Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the Hall of Fame catcher. ... Giants RHP Mike Leake had never previously allowed fewer than four hits in a complete-game effort. … Giants 1B Brandon Belt had right knee surgery Wednesday to repair torn meniscus. He already had been declared out for the season because of recurring concussion issues.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
LA Dodgers
|
2 |
0 |
2 |
.074 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
San Francisco
|
8 |
2 |
15 |
.276 |
11 |
10 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
0 |