Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES — It is hard to conceive a more exciting game that takes place on May 28. It is hard to conceive of a better play unfolding all season than the game-saving, home run-robbing thievery from Mike Tauchman to send the tilt into a 10th inning. It is hard to conceive of a bigger gut punch than the three-run homer that preceded it.
And because of the highs and lows, it is hard to conceive of a May 28 win with as much weight as this one.
After wild eighth and ninth innings, the Giants pulled out their first victory of the year against the Dodgers in the 10th, LaMonte Wade Jr. singling in the go-ahead run and San Francisco adding on from there in an 8-5, 10-inning escape at Dodger Stadium.
The win brought the Giants and Dodgers back to a dead heat in the division (at 31-20), 1.5 games back of the best-in-baseball Padres. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers have looked like they belong at the top of the league, though, whenever they have played the Giants, whom they swept last weekend and took the first game in LA on Thursday. If there was a mental block beginning to take hold in the Giants’ clubhouse, perhaps winning a game against the Dodgers can hurdle it.
Wade’s single drove in Steven Duggar, and Evan Longoria’s key double to right off Kenley Jansen created the cushion. In the bottom of the 10th, Jarlin Garcia was able to hold a three-run lead better than Tyler Rogers had an inning earlier.
The always-solid Rogers was touched up in the ninth, though it was not entirely the submariner’s fault. Will Smith reached on what was called a single but easily could have been an error, as Mauricio Dubon booted it at second. With two on and two outs, Austin Barnes drilled a three-run bomb to tie and awaken the raucous, sellout crowd of 17,873.
The next batter was Albert Pujols, who thought he hit the game-winner. Tauchman ranged back, got to the wall, leapt and snapped the home run away like a thief’s hand in your pocket. He lay on the warning track for a few moments afterward, but he ran off under his own power.
MIKE TAUCHMAN ROBS THE WALK-OFF ?
pic.twitter.com/w2hgqC3t8I— KNBR (@KNBR) May 29, 2021
The Giants believed they had won it an inning earlier, when Posey drilled his 10th homer of the year, the 150th of his career and his first hit in 12 career at-bats against Blake Treinen. The three-run bomb into the left-field seats quieted Dodgers fans really for the first time this year in head-to-head play.
Posey had not hit double-digit home runs since 2017, when he slugged 12 in 140 games. His 10 have come in 34 games this season, drinking from a fountain that everyone else wants to taste. There has been plenty of focus on his usage — especially the fact he did not play Thursday — but the Giants have stuck to the plan because he is performing best when rested.
He made a good argument to continue this trend with a bomb to left that broke a tie and breathed life into a club that had not been able to figure out Los Angeles pitching. The quiet Posey admired it and allowed himself a fist-pump just before touching first.
This one was worth admiring pic.twitter.com/HeGafRaXR0
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 29, 2021
Posey’s blast made a lot of solid work in high-pressure pitching situations from Giants pitchers hold up (as well as clutch plays from their defense). The staff did not have a 1-2-3 inning in the game until Garcia, who had an inherited runner at second to deal with.
DeSclafani did not nearly have his best stuff and walked four, but he held the Dodgers to 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Caleb Baragar bailed him out of one jam then got into another. But he put on his dance shoes and watched his last pitch, a fastball to Max Muncy, die in Steven Duggar’s glove with the center fielder’s back on the wall.
Zack Littell (0.71 ERA) and Jake McGee pitched around leadoff walks, Littell with Wade’s help. Thrown into first base because of injuries, Wade made his second outstanding play of the night, diving to his right to snag a hot shot from Gavin Lux, then threw strong to second to get the lead runner. Earlier, Wade had assisted DeSclafani by nicely picking up a Yoshi Tsutsugo ground ball and throwing a strike home to Posey, who missed a diving Chris Taylor, but diving Chris Taylor missed the plate, too. Posey was quicker with the second effort.
The Giants’ offense was quiet until the eighth, although Duggar was loud. The excellent outfielder has never hit enough for a prolonged stay in the majors, and he had just six hits last season (when he batted .176). He is 8-for-17 in his past seven games.
Duggar went 2-for-4 with a fifth-inning home run that he crushed into right to give the Giants a brief, 2-1 lead. He’s a fast runner, but it took him an awfully long time to get to first because he admired his handiwork, his third dinger of the year but first off Walker Buehler, who looked like an ace yet again.
The Giants’ first run was manufactured, when Brandon Crawford (who destroyed three balls but had just one hit) ripped a second-inning double and moved to third on a passed ball. Donovan Solano’s sacrifice gave the Giants another brief lead.
The first two times the Giants scored, the Dodgers scored in the bottom of the inning. Posey’s homer snapped that streak.
It wasn’t the only streak that was snapped.