SAN FRANCISCO — The only thing louder than the “beat LA” chants that filled AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon was the roar from the crowd when Andrew McCutchen walked the San Francisco Giants (4-3) off to a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers (2-6).
.@TheCUTCH22's first-career 6-hit game ends in walk-off fashion! #BeatLA pic.twitter.com/6jBf0JSS8E
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 8, 2018
Roberto Gomez gave up the lead to the Dodgers in the 14th, but received the first win of his career as McCutchen capped his phenomenal game with a three-run home run after a 12-pitch at-bat against Wilmer Font.
Before then, the Giants struck first when Andrew McCutchen doubled down the left field line with Joe Panik on first. Joc Pederson made a sliding attempt at the ball, but it got past him and Panik was able to cross the plate.
McCutchen finished the game 6-for-7 with a double and three singles, raising his average from .083 to .258, setting a new career-high for hits in a game.
All the while, Stratton benefitted from a pair of inning-ending double plays, both started by Evan Longoria, to keep the Dodgers at bay in the first and second until they tied the game in the third.
Two batters after Chase Utley doubled into right field, Chris Taylor singled him home. It was the Dodgers’ first run in 17 innings. They had been shutout by the Arizona Diamondbacks in their most recent game and their last run came from a third-inning sacrifice fly from Taylor on April 3.
The Giants regained the lead when Buster Posey sent the second pitch he saw from Hill into the left field bleachers for his first home run of the season. However, it wasn’t long before the Dodgers struck back with two runs in the sixth.
Stratton’s outing came to an end after allowing the first two batters to reach base via a single and walk. Both runs ended up scoring when the Dodgers brought them home on a passed ball and groundout with Corey Gearrin on the mound.
Stratton pitched five innings; allowing four hits, three runs, and four walks with three strikeouts.
The Dodgers’ lead was short-lived as Belt put the Giants ahead with an RBI double off Pedro Báez in the bottom of the sixth. Pence had reached on a one-out single and wasn’t fooled by Puig’s attempted deke, sprinting home to score the go-ahead run.
Nonetheless, Utley led off the following inning with a home run off Sam Dyson. The Dodgers looked to take the lead after putting two runner on base, but Tony Watson ended the threat with a pop out and fly out.
Watson remained in the game for the eighth inning, working around a leadoff walk and single to keep his former team from scoring. Hunter Strickland followed him up in the ninth inning and maneuvered around a fielding error to hold the Dodgers scoreless.
The Giants wrap up their series against the Dodgers on Sunday at 1:05 PM with another pitching duel between Ty Blach and Clayton Kershaw.