San Francisco Giants back Madison Bumgarner With 3 Homers, Beat Dodgers 7-2
By Phil Watson
April 5, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) celebrates with center fielder Angel Pagan (16), catcher Buster Posey (28) and starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) after hitting a three run home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Pablo Sandoval broke the game open with a three-run homer in the fifth inning and Madison Bumgarner struck out 10 in 6.1 innings as the San Francisco Giants pounded the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Buster Posey and Michael Morse also homered for the Giants (5-1), who won their third straight and clinched their second straight series win in Los Angeles. San Francisco took three of four from the Dodgers Sept. 12-15 of last season.
The Giants opened the scoring in the second inning, loading the bases on a walk to Morse and back-to-back singles by Brandon Belt and Brandon Hicks before Brandon Crawford grounded into a force up the middle and beat out the back end to prevent an inning-ending double play.
Juan Uribe doubled in the bottom of the second to tie the game for the Dodgers (4-3).
Morse’s first homer of the season, which came leading off the fourth, gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the fourth before the Giants unloaded on starter Paul Maholm (0-1) in the fifth.
Bumgarner and Angel Pagan led off the inning with consecutive singles and after a fly out, Sandoval crushed a hanging breaking ball from Maholm into the seats in left to put the Giants up 5-1. That ended Maholm’s day after 4.1 innings and five runs, but Posey smacked his second homer of the season to greet reliever Jose Dominguez to give San Francisco back-to-back jacks for the first time this year.
In the sixth, Paco Rodriguez came on for Dominguez on the mound for L.A. and issued a one-out walk to Crawford, with Bumgarner sacrificing him to second. Pagan followed by lining a double to right to put the Giants up 7-1.
The Dodgers, though, finally got to Bumgarner a bit in the sixth. Scott Van Slyke led off with a single and A.J. Ellis singled one out later. Dee Gordon pinch-hit for the pitcher’s spot and rifled a single to right to load the bases.
With Yasiel Puig—back in the lineup after being benched for L.A.’s home opener after arriving at the ballpark late on Friday—due up, Bruce Bochy called on Santiago Casilla, who flew out to right.
Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier, hitting for second baseman Justin Turner, singled to right to score Van Slyke, but Pence threw out Ellis at the plate to end the inning. The Dodgers challenged the tag, which was upheld on video review and the Giants were out of the jam with just a single run.
Bumgarner (1-0) allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk in 6.1 innings, striking out 10. Casilla allowed a hit and two walks in 1.2 innings and Yusmeiro Petit came on to work a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one.
Pagan, Pence and Posey had two hits apiece as San Francisco banged out 11 hits on the day. For Pence, the two hits were more than he had in the first five games, when he was 1-for-20 to start the year.
The teams wrap up the series on Sunday at 5 p.m. on a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” Matt Cain (0-0, 3.60) makes his second start, taking on Zach Greinke (1-0, 3.60).