SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A blown save by Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning. A weak groundout by Andre Ethier in the 12th with the potential go-ahead run at third base. A costly wild pitch from Brandon League not long after that.
It all went bad for Los Angeles with the game on the line.
Hector Sanchez singled home the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning and the San Francisco Giants beat the Dodgers 3-2 Tuesday night after Brandon Belt’s tying double in the ninth.
“It is frustrating. We had that game, man,” Jansen said after his second blown save ended Los Angeles’ modest three-game winning streak. “It’s going to be us and them the whole year. They never quit. They keep playing hard.”
The Dodgers had several chances to win but came up empty almost every time, at the plate and in the field.
After Ethier’s groundout ended the top of the 12th, Brandon Crawford singled off League (0-1) with one out in the bottom half and advanced to second on a groundout by Brandon Hicks. His bouncer deflected off third baseman Juan Uribe to shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who threw to first for the out. But the Dodgers were unable to get the lead runner on the play, and it cost them.
Crawford went to third on a wild pitch and Sanchez hit a sharp one-hopper that glanced off the glove of diving second baseman Justin Turner and into center field.
Turner slammed his hand on the ground in frustration.
“It’s typical of two teams that know each other really well,” Los Angeles starter Josh Beckett said. “Most games that we play against these guys are going to be tight. We just came up on the short end today.”
Beckett allowed two hits over five scoreless innings in his second start of the season. He walked five and struck out four.
Uribe had three hits, including a home run and a double, and scored twice for the Dodgers. Yasiel Puig added two hits, including a triple.
Hunter Pence had four hits for the Giants, who have won three of four.
The game took 4 hours, 54 minutes, and ended after midnight on the West Coast after the Dodgers squandered a chance to end it in the ninth.
Angel Pagan singled with one out and Belt followed with a double into the left-field corner against Jansen. Pagan scored to tie it at 2.
“It was one of those games where you’re trying to score and trying to really manage your ’pen,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “You’re not going to get too many runaways.”
Turner’s pinch-hit single in the seventh inning gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Juan Gutierrez pitched 2 1-3 shutout innings with three strikeouts to keep the Giants close.
Los Angeles had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, but Tim Lincecum struck out Uribe and Tim Federowicz to end the threat.
The Giants also had the bases loaded in the fourth with one out. Beckett struck out Michael Morse swinging before retiring Crawford on a routine grounder.
Beckett walked the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth but got Buster Posey on a fly to center field.
NOTES: Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. … Giants LHP Jeremy Affeldt (right knee sprain) will be activated from the disabled list Wednesday. … RHP Ryan Vogelsong (0-0, 8.00 ERA) pitches for the Giants on Wednesday. He is 4-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 20 games against the Dodgers. LHP Paul Maholm (0-1, 8.10) takes the mound for Los Angeles. He is winless in six career games at AT&T Park. … Dodgers RHP Chad Billingsley cut short a bullpen session after eight pitches due to discomfort. He was sent to Los Angeles for an MRI. … Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (back) threw a bullpen session and Mattingly said the team is “plodding along with this. We’ll see how far he can go. It seems to be going in the right direction.”
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