San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Last Meeting with LA

3 DOWN

1 – Twin Killing

Kershaw was great again on Sunday, but he wasn’t as great as he usually is against the Giants. He didn’t post his normal big strikeout numbers (though he did reach 200 strikeouts on the season), and the Giants were able to put the ball in play. They worked in their favor as they totaled eight hits in Kershaw’s eight innings, but it was also a detriment as they grounded into four double plays. It was the first time in Kershaw’s career he had induced four groundball double plays in a single start.

Twin killings ended the second, fifth, and sixth innings, and erased a leadoff hit in the seventh. Add in another double play from Friday and one more from Saturday (with the bases loaded and one out) and the Giants hit into six in a three-game series. Not exactly a recipe for success.

2 – In a Pinch

Giants’ hitters in the starting lineup didn’t have a ton of success in this series, and neither did those coming off the bench. Pinch-hitters for the Giants took eight at-bats against the Dodgers, and went 0-8. They struck out 5 times and added a double play into the mix. Again, not exactly a recipe for success.

Next: Meet New Giant Pierce Johnson

3 – The Other Bullpen

The Giants’ bullpen was excellent in the series, but so were there counterparts. The Giants did manage to score twice off Los Angeles relievers, including a Pablo Sandoval home run that was the first run Kenley Jansen had allowed to the Giants this season. But over 10.2 innings, that’s not usually going to work. The Dodgers struck out nine out of the bullpen, with San Francisco hitters watching strike three five times. Jansen struck out the side in his inning, and not a single hitter swung at strike three.