By Jon Weisman
Eduardo Nunez gave the Giants another self-generated run when he homered just over Andrew Toles’ glove and off a camera housing in the fifth inning tonight, and unlike Monday, the San Francisco Giants made it stand up.
Adding an insurance run on Brandon Belt’s ninth-inning homer, the Giants came away with a 2-0 victory.
San Francisco cut the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to five games, and perhaps more interestingly, forged a three-way tie with the Mets and Cardinals for the two available NL Wild Card spots at 80-71.
The Giants held on despite needing 3 2/3 shutout innings from their maligned bullpen, after a left groin strain forced Johnny Cueto from the game. San Francisco also lost shortstop Brandon Crawford when he dislocated his left pinky while trying to go from first to third in the second inning.
Dodger starter Rich Hill struck out seven in his 77-pitch, five-inning outing.
Corey Seager had three hits, including his 40th double of the season, extending his Dodger rookie record.
The last time the Dodgers had at least nine hits in a shutout loss, it was also at the mercy of the Giants, on May 21, 2015.
Tonight’s outcome essentially reversed the 1-0 Dodger victory of August 24, when Hill bested Cueto thanks to Justin Turner’s fourth-inning homer. At 3:36, this was, as it happens, the longest 2-0, nine-inning game in MLB history.
oldbrooklynfan
It turned out it didn’t matter much when Hill was taken out of the game, since the Dodgers never scored. Of course, I wouldn’t expect him to go too much deeper, in the game.
Tim Bower
This had to be one of the most boring games I can remember watching. The sheer number of strikeouts in baseball today is making the game borderline unwatchable and the “expanded roster bullpen shuffle” we are subjected to every September doesn’t help things.