What a difference a day makes.
The Dodgers responded to - in the words of A.J. Ellis - "getting punched in the mouth" on Friday night with their best game of the season. The team scored four runs in each of the first two innings on their way to a 17-0 romp over the Giants on Saturday night at AT&T Park.
The largest shutout win by the Dodgers over the Giants included 24 hits, the most by any team in AT&T Park history, and 17 runs, the most runs scored by an opponent in the 15-year-old stadium.
The gigantic sigh of relief from the Dodgers, on a night they could have given away a share of first place to San Francisco, one night after being on the other end of a blowout in a 9-0 Giants triumph, gave Los Angeles a two-game lead in the National League West with 14 games to play.
Saturday night began in almost a mirror image of Friday night, with the Dodgers hitting three doubles on their way to a four-run opening frame, just like San Francisco a night before.
But they weren't done there, far from it. Four more runs came in the second, knocking Tim Hudson out without recording an out. Like Hyun-jin Ryu one night before, Hudson only recorded three outs.
Zack Greinke lasted a bit longer than that. Greinke pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only four hits while striking out five. He was lifted after only 84 pitches, but that was because the Dodgers were up 15-0.
Greinke also chipped in at the plate, with a walk, a double off the center field wall and a home run.
It was that kind of night for the Dodgers offense, which saw every starter get at least two hits except Adrian Gonzalez, who settled for a 1-for-5 night with a run scored and his 103rd RBI of the season.
The Dodgers enjoyed a variety of things about their Sabado Gigante:
- Greinke hit the first home run by a Dodgers pitcher this season.
- Dee Gordon stole his 60th base, the first Dodger to do so in seven years.
- The Dodgers have four players with
3031 or more doubles. - The Dodgers won a replay challenge of an out call at first base, a challenge up 13-0 at the time.
- Joc Pederson scored his first major league run, coming home on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
- Alex Guerrero got his first major league hit, a single in the eighth.
- Scott Van Slyke, son of Andy, crushed a home run two-thirds of the way into the left field seats in the seventh inning against Brett Bochy, son of manager Bruce, in the latter's major league debut. Gordon, son of Tom, scored on the home run.
- Scott Elbert, in his first appearance in a major league mound since Aug. 26, 2012, pitched a scoreless seventh inning, allowing only a single.
- Poor Roger Bernardina reached base twice in his two plate appearances, but had to get hit by a pitch twice to do it.
- The Dodgers set season highs in runs and hits.
Up next
Clayton Kershaw.
Saturday particulars
Home runs: Juan Uribe (9), Zack Greinke (1), Scott Van Slyke (11)
WP - Zack Greinke (15-8): 6 IP, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts
LP - Tim Hudson (9-11): 1+ IP, 8 hits, 6 runs, 2 strikeouts