Will Smith’s double ignites seven-run 11th inning as the Dodgers beat the Giants 14-7
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Will Smith knocked in two runs to start a seven-run 11th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 14-7 on Saturday night.
Smith, leading off the inning after Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked, scored two runs with a hard double into the left-center field gap off Sean Hjelle (3-2). The Dodgers strung together five straight hits, with Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Chris Taylor and Jason Heyward reaching base against Hjelle.
The game was tight until the 11th-inning barrage, with both teams scored their automatic runners in the 10th inning. Miguel Rojas hit an RBI single for the Dodgers and David Villar tied the game for the Giants with a double. But Daniel Hudson (5-1) escaped a bases-loaded one-out jam to send the game to the 11th.
“Long game, but the team effort was remarkable,” Rojas said. “And I feel like that’s the team that we have. We’re always going to fight and we’re always going to be in games.”
The Dodgers have won five of six, and are 6-2 against the Giants this season. The seven-run win was the Dodgers’ second-largest extra-inning win since at least 1901.
“This was certainly unexpected,” Dodgers manager Dave Robert said of the offensive eruption. “You just don’t see that.”
The Giants scored four runs in the bottom of the third, but the Dodgers responded with four runs of their own in the fourth to take a 6-5 lead. Brett Wisely tied the game up in the fifth with a broken-bat RBI single.
Matt Chapman had three hits for the Giants along with a walk.
Ohtani homered in the third to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead.
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow allowed five runs in three innings, his shortest outing of the season. Los Angeles used nine pitchers, and seven pitchers threw for the Giants in a bullpen game, which they have been forced to do more often with several starters injured.
“I feel like the whole team pitched today and they picked me up,” Glasnow said. “I’m very thankful.”
Roberts said the Dodgers were running out of pitchers, and needed every run they could get to cushion the lead.
“Exhausting all of your arms feels a lot better when you win,” Roberts said.
Spencer Howard, who took over after Erik Miller pitched the first, gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings. San Francisco entered the game leading the major leagues with 340.2 innings pitched by the bullpen.
Giants manager Bob Melvin said he kept Hjelle in the game for a second inning even though “he really had one inning in him today” because the Giants were out of options.
“It’s too bad that he gave up as many as he did, but we couldn’t use another pitcher at that time,” Melvin said.
Before the game, Melvin lamented having to put together a makeshift rotation with key starters in Blake Snell, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison and Alex Cobb dealing with injuries.
“It’s hard, but we have no other choice,” Melvin said. “We’re going to have guys that are taxed. It’s not by design. We don’t want that. But we’re just trying to piece it together until we get some of these guys back.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: LHP Blake Snell (groin) will make one more rehab start at Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday and is expected to rejoin the rotation after the team returns from the road trip next week. … LHP Kyle Harrison (ankle) will throw one more bullpen session before rejoining the rotation. … Both IF Wilmer Flores (knee) and IF Thairo Estrada (wrist), who were placed on the injured list Friday, will stay away from baseball activities for four to five days. There is no structural damage for either injury, according to manager Bob Melvin.
UP NEXT
LHP James Paxton (7-1, 3.39 ERA) is expected to start for the Dodgers to wrap up the series. The Giants have not yet announced a starter.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb