Dodgers capitalize on Giants’ physical and mental blunders to win 7-2
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.D. Martinez’s sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers capitalized on two physical and one mental blunder by the San Francisco Giants to win 7-2 Thursday night in the series opener.
The Giants have dropped six of seven on their road trip to fall further out of the NL wild-card race.
Will Smith tripled off John Brebbia (3-1) and Martinez followed with the fly to right. Mike Yastrzemski wasn’t that deep when he caught the ball flat-footed and then held it for a moment, apparently forgetting there were only two outs.
That gave Smith time enough to charge home for a 3-2 lead.
“Yaz made a very uncharacteristic mental error,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They usually don’t make those kind of mistakes.”
Two wild pitches by reliever Luke Jackson led to two runs for the NL West champion Dodgers in the seventh.
Jackson’s pitch went all the way to the backstop, allowing Chris Taylor to score from third after Taylor reached on third baseman J.D. Davis’ throwing error. James Outman, who doubled, moved up to third.
Outman scored on another wild pitch by Jackson, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2.
“You can’t turn it off and turn it on,” Taylor said. “It’s still the same objective, nothing changes just because we clinched. We’re trying to win games and head into the postseason the same way we started.”
Freddie Freeman singled in the eighth to tie his career high of 199 hits set last year. He then stole his 21st base of the season and scored on Martinez’s 95th RBI for a 6-2 lead.
Shelby Miller (2-0) got the victory with one inning of relief.
Former Dodger Joc Pederson homered 430 feet into straightaway center off reliever Alex Vesia to tie the game at 2-all in the sixth.
Dodgers rookie Emmet Sheehan retired the first 10 batters he faced, striking out eight. Wilmer Flores walked on a 3-2 pitch before Pederson grounded into a double play to end the fourth.
“I build confidence every start, but for sure the last two have been great,” Sheehan said. “That’s helped me a lot.”
Sheehan loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth. He hit Yastrzemski and walked Marco Luciano and Blake Sabol back-to-back. After a visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, Sheehan walked Tyler Fitzgerald on eight pitches to force in the Giants’ first run.
“When he got to that fifth inning there was a little bit of running low on fuel in the tank,” Roberts said.
With the bases loaded again, Vesia replaced Sheehan and struck out pinch-hitter Davis to end the long inning.
Sheehan allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings, struck out a season-high nine and walked four. He hasn’t given up a hit in two starts and 10 2/3 innings against the Giants.
He has pitched himself into the Dodgers’ postseason conversation.
“He’s probably got one of the top fastballs in our organization,” Roberts said. “He’s doing his part in kind of handling himself in big spots in big games against good teams.”
Sheehan said he’s ready “for anything they want me to do.”
The Dodgers led 2-0 on Kiké Hernández’s sacrifice fly in the third and Martinez’s 30th homer in the fourth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: SS Brandon Crawford (right hamstring strain) will have treatment through the weekend and be reevaluated next week. … RHP Alex Cobb (left hip impingement) is not doing any baseball activity and will be reevaluated next week.
LIKE SON, LIKE MOTHER
Brusdar Graterol’s mother, Ysmalia, tossed out the first pitch two nights after seeing her son pitch in the major leagues for the first time.
“Now we know where he gets it,” public address announcer Todd Leitz said after Ysmalia stood atop the mound and fired a rocket to her son behind the plate.
The crowd cheered as they shared an embrace.
Graterol was reunited with his mother for the first time in seven years Sunday when she arrived from Venezuela She plans to be in the U.S. through at least the end of the postseason.
UP NEXT
LHP Sean Manaea (6-6, 4.82 ERA) goes for the Giants on Friday. LHP Caleb Ferguson (7-3, 2.56) will be the Dodgers’ opener.
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