
On a wild sports day filled with college football knockouts and one of the biggest boxing matches around the world, the Los Angeles Dodgers delivered some big punches against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
Teoscar Hernández went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs, and two runs scored as the Dodgers sent Giants starter Logan Webb to an early shower and got a much-needed 13-7 victory over San Francisco at Oracle Park.
There was no need for Dodgers fans to worry about the bullpen. Tanner Scott came on in the ninth with a six-run lead and got the Giants out in order. Scott needed an outing like that, even in a rout, to maybe give him more confidence.
What about Shohei Ohtani? Oh, it was just another night at the office for the Japanese superstar. Ohtani went 3-for-5 with his 49th homer this season, a walk, an RBI, and three runs scored.
Heading into the game, Dodgers and Giants fans might have been looking forward to a solid pitching duel between Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw and Webb. The Giants got the early jump, though, by rattling Kershaw around for four first-inning runs.
Kershaw had a short night, going only three innings and giving up those four earned runs along with five hits. He walked four and struck out two.
In a very scary moment, Max Muncy took a pitch off his helmet in the sixth inning and went down. Muncy was taken off the field by Dodgers medical personnel and did not return.
Webb wasn't the sharpest tool in the box for Giants manager Bob Melvin. Webb, who ended up taking the loss, went four innings, gave up six earned runs, walked two and struck out five. Webb gave up Ohtani's third-inning bomb, too.
Justin Robleski was excellent in relief for the Dodgers, throwing 2 1/3 innings of no-hit ball while striking out three. He lowered his ERA to 1.84 on the season. Edgardo Henriquez picked up the win for Los Angeles.
Freddie Freeman, Miguel Rojas, and Ben Rortvedt added two RBIs on the night as well. The Dodgers offense totaled 17 hits, a game that probably put a big smile on manager Dave Roberts' face.
Where do things stand for the Dodgers in the National League West Division after Saturday night's win? They are two games up on the San Diego Padres and seven games up on the Giants.
But the Giants are in the middle of an NL Wild Card chase. The New York Mets lost their eighth straight game on Saturday, sending the Mets into a tie with San Francisco for that final Wild Card spot.
Obviously, this series carries high stakes for both the Dodgers and the Giants. They wrap up the three-game weekend series on Sunday afternoon.