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Kenley Jansen blows save as Dodgers fall to Giants in 10

Kenny Karst-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers got a last at-bat, go-ahead home run for a second night in a row, but closer Kenley Jansen couldn't hold the lead this time. The Giants rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to stun Jansen and the Dodgers 5-4 in a gut-punch turnaround result on Saturday night at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Minutes away from a two-game deficit in the division, the Dodgers now trail the Giants by four in the National League West.

After getting a pop out to open the inning, Denard Span lined a ball down the right field line for a double, then scored on a single to left center field by Joe Panik. a Brandon Belt followed with a pop fly that somehow Trayce Thompson didn't catch, instead breaking back on the ball, then trying to confuse Panik by faking like he would catch it. The result was another single, and runners on first and second.

Buster Posey lined a hard grounder that bounced off the mound and just past a diving Corey Seager, scoring Panik with the game-winner.

It was Jansen's third blown save of the year in 20 attempts, and the four hits allowed matched a career high, done three other times, the last on Sept. 3, 2014 against Washington.

Power surge

Adrian Gonzalez had just six extra-base hits (four doubles, two home runs) in his last 41 games and saw his slugging percentage dip to .389 on the season entering Saturday. But he absolutely smoked a ball off the wall to the deepest part of the ballpark in center field in the fifth inning. What was probably a home run in just about any other park was instead a double, and one that tied the game at 2-2.

But against Chris Stratton, the Giants' eighth reliever of the night, Gonzalez made sure his drive made it over the wall, this one to the opposite field to nearly the same spot as the game-winner by Justin Turner in the ninth inning on Friday night.

After his 2-for-4 game on Saturday, with six total bases, Gonzalez's slugging percentage is back up to .409.

Stratton, in just his third major league game, ended up with the win.

Pen workhorse

Joe Blanton pitched two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, his sixth appearance of at least two innings this season. Blanton has a 2.43 ERA in 33⅓ innings this season, with 34 strikeouts and nine walks, just five unintentional. He's on pace for just shy of 86 innings this season.

No Dodgers pitcher has thrown 80 innings in relief since Ramon Troncoso in 2009.

Seventh heaven

Down a run in the seventh inning, the Dodgers sent seven batters to the plate, and they faced five different Giants pitchers. One single and three walks later, the Dodgers tied the game at 3-3, the equalizer coming on a bases-loaded free pass to Trayce Thompson, whose brother Klay was watching from a suite at AT&T Park, still two days before Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Oakland.

Joc Pederson popped out to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded and leaving the game tied.

GISP

The Dodgers ran into some familiar trouble in the sixth inning, which opened with a single and a walk to chase Scott Kazmir with nobody out in the frame. Louis Coleman entered, then induced consecutive potential double play grounders, but on neither ball could the Dodgers turn two.

The first was a sharp ground ball by Posey to Justin Turner at third base, but Chase Utley couldn't get the ball out of his glove in time on the turn to get the second out. The second was a tough hop to Seager at shortstop, who fed awkwardly to second, where Utley was off balance with Posey barreling down the line. They got the out at second, but Utley's falling-down throw to first was too late to get Matt Duffy, allowing the go-ahead run to score, for a brief 3-2 lead.

The Dodgers are last in the majors in both double plays turned and 29th in double play runs.

Free passes

That walk in the sixth inning was Kazmir's fifth of the game, more than he had in his previous three starts combined (four, with 24 strikeouts during that span).

Kazmir allowed three runs in his five-plus innings on Saturday, and struck out three. In three starts against the Giants this season, the left-hander has allowed 13 runs on 17 hits in 13 innings, with 10 walks and 10 strikeouts. Against everyone else, Kazmir has a 3.56 ERA in 10 starts, with 65 strikeouts and 19 walks in 60⅔ innings.

Up next

These two teams are at it again on Sunday night, with a bit of an abnormal 5:30 p.m. PT start time, part of a rare ESPN doubleheader. Julio Urias puts his feet, and left arm, to the fire again, while Jake Peavy starts the series finale for San Francisco.

Saturday particulars

Home run: Adrian Gonzalez (6)

WP - Chris Stratton (1-0): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 strikeout

LP - Kenley Jansen (2-2): ⅓ IP, 4 hits, 2 runs