Dodgers lose to Giants in 11 innings to open showdown series

SAN FRANCISCO — At this rate, the Dodgers and Giants volition scope the extremity of the play similar a brace of punched-out prizefighters, incapable to rise their arms to bash much than cuff the different 1 mildly crossed the cheek.

Down to their past retired successful the apical of the ninth, the Dodgers tied the people connected an RBI azygous by Chris Taylor, took a pb successful the apical of the 10th lone to person the Giants lucifer it and win, 3-2, successful 11 innings connected Friday nighttime to determination backmost into sole possession of archetypal spot successful the NL West.

The winning tally scored with the bases loaded and 2 outs successful the 11th erstwhile Trea Turner handled a crushed shot to his near but his propulsion pulled Will Smith – each of Manager Dave Roberts’ maneuvering having landed the Dodgers catcher astatine archetypal basal – disconnected the base. It required a lengthy replay reappraisal to corroborate the call.

It was really a beauteous straightforward crippled for astir of the night. The Dodgers were held to 2 hits implicit six innings by Anthony DeSclafani and unopen retired for eight.

Then things got weird.

After Taylor tied the crippled successful the apical of the ninth, Kenley Jansen threw 21 pitches and lone 8 of them were strikes – successful a scoreless bottommost of the ninth.

Albert Pujols went to 2nd basal arsenic the “free runner” successful the apical of the 10th – not the subordinate MLB had successful caput erstwhile it sought ways to velocity up play successful other innings. But Pujols tagged up astatine 2nd basal connected a alert shot to halfway tract and chugged – nary different verb volition bash – into 3rd safely.

Walker Buehler pinch ran for Pujols and scored the go-ahead tally connected different alert shot – a tally that wouldn’t person scored without Pujols’ tag.

David Price was scheduled to commencement for the Dodgers connected Friday oregon astatine slightest instrumentality down aggregate innings. But the Dodgers mislaid the bulk successful their bullpen-game plans erstwhile a sore elbow sidelined Price. Instead, Roberts engaged successful a pitchers’ duel – innings and arms dueling to spot which would tally retired first.

Roberts ran done them all, utilizing 11 pitchers – 12 if you number Buehler’s pinch-running quality – leaving lone Price, Julio Urias and Max Scherzer unused.

Acquired from the Minnesota Twins successful a minor-league commercialized earlier this week, Andrew Vasquez made his Dodgers debut successful the bottommost of the 10th and gave up an RBI azygous to Brandon Crawford to necktie the score.

The Dodgers’ 11th pitcher of the night, Evan Phillips (who has spent arsenic overmuch clip connected their injured database arsenic the Dodgers’ progressive roster), got retired of that without further damage.

But the Dodgers failed to currency successful their “free runner” successful the apical of the 11th – the lack of Pujols’ dynamic baserunning proving costly.

In the bottommost of the 11th, Phillips astir escaped a bases-loaded concern erstwhile helium got Alex Dickerson to bounce what looked similar an inning-ending grounder to Trea Turner.

More to travel connected this story.