Dodgers lose to Giants again to fall three games back in division

The Dodgers have been one sport again within the Nationwide League West on July 19 once they started a 10-game stretch through which they’d play first-place San Francisco seven instances, the chance to grab management of a division they’ve owned for eight years there for the taking.

The pesky Giants simply wouldn’t let go. Veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto, the person of a thousand windups, and 4 relievers blanked the Dodgers on 4 hits in a 5-0 victory in Oracle Park on Thursday, the Giants profitable 5 of seven from the Dodgers to push their division result in three video games.

“We all know the NL West is a tricky division, and it’s gonna be a dogfight all the way in which to the top, however we belief the fellows in our clubhouse and within the lineup, and we imagine in one another,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes stated. “It is going to be a good race, however I feel we’re made for that.”

They nonetheless have time to catch the Giants, too, however they should play higher than they did for many of this seven-game stretch, once they blew a pair of ninth-inning leads in Dodger Stadium final week and dedicated a throwing error that led to the Giants’ profitable run within the eighth inning of Tuesday night time’s 2-1 loss.

“We now have a lot respect for these guys — that’s an excellent ballclub,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated of the Giants. “They’ve earned this so far, they usually’ve performed higher these final seven video games, clearly.”

Cueto used his number of hesitations, shimmy shakes and fast pitches to clean the Dodgers on three hits via 5 innings, and San Francisco scored 4 runs in four-plus innings off Dodgers starter David Value for a 4-0 lead.

The Dodgers had an opportunity to tie the rating with one swing within the sixth once they loaded the bases with two outs, Chris Taylor reaching on a fielder’s-choice grounder, Max Muncy poking a single to left and Justin Turner strolling to win a 10-pitch battle with Cueto.

Up stepped Cody Bellinger, who homered in Wednesday night time’s win and was displaying indicators of rising from a brutal seasonlong droop. In from the Giants bullpen got here left-hander Jarlin Garcia.

Three pitches later, the inning was over, Bellinger taking a 94-mph fastball for strike one, an 84-mph changeup for strike two and swinging via a 94-mph fastball for strike three.

“That was a pivotal spot,” Roberts stated after the Dodgers have been shut out for the third time this season. “It may have modified the sport, however they made the pitches once they wanted to.”

Value didn’t. The Giants scored all of their runs with two outs, on Brandon Crawford’s two-run double within the first, Wilmer Flores’ RBI double within the second, Austin Slater’s RBI single within the fourth and LaMonte Wade Jr.’s double off Victor Gonzalez within the seventh.

Value walked three within the first earlier than Crawford, who was activated off the injured checklist earlier than the sport, slapped an opposite-field grounder previous the third-base bag.

“Strolling three guys in that first inning places myself in a tricky spot and our crew in a tricky spot,” stated Value, who gave up three earned runs and 4 hits in 4 1/3 innings. “I wasn’t capable of get that huge put-out pitch with two outs and runners in scoring place.”

Not solely was Value’s command off, the rate of his fastball was down, from his common of 93.4 mph on the season to 91.2 mph Thursday.

“I didn’t have an excellent really feel for something,” Value stated. “After I was enjoying catch within the outfield earlier than the sport, even warming up, I believed I used to be gonna throw actually onerous as we speak, and that wasn’t the case. It was bizarre once I bought onto the sport mound. Bodily, I felt high-quality. I simply didn’t have superb stuff as we speak.”