LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday, it was walk, walk, wild pitch, single. On Wednesday, 24 hours later, it went single, walk, single, single.
The Dodgers’ two runs in the second inning of the first Giants-Dodgers meeting of the season undid Carlos Rodón. Their two-run fourth frame against Alex Wood was enough to best the passive Giants offense, even before Los Angeles ran it up on San Francisco’s bullpen.
In two losses, the Giants scored two runs. Their offensive struggles made any pitching imperfection lethal. During the Dodgers’ two-game sweep the Giants went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Any situational hitting, especially on Wednesday, escaped the Giants. Los Angeles’ 9-1 victory came on Star Wars Night in Dodger Stadium and made the Dodgers (16-7) look like a galaxy far, far away from the Giants (14-10).
SF’s blowout defeat wasn’t always as convincing as the final score. In the second inning, the Giants took their first lead over LA since Evan Longoria’s solo home run in Game 3 of last year’s NLDS. That’s when Brandon Crawford skied a solo shot just over the right field wall off Tony Gonsolin.
It had been 16 games since Crawford’s last home run in this season — a season that’s seen fewer homers than any in recent memory after one month. The shortstop only had one drought as long in 2021.
Crawford’s second home run of the year represented what appeared to be a concerted effort to jump on Gonsolin early in counts. Crawford’s home run came on a first-pitch fastball. So did Luis González’s third-inning single and Kevin Padlo’s fifth-inning liner — all three of SF’s hits off Gonsolin.
In Gonsolin’s five innings of work, he faced 19 Giants. Ten of those swung at the first pitch. Of the nine that didn’t, four took pitches outside the zone for balls.
Wood, against the club that didn’t see him fit for a full-time starting role, tossed three hitless innings to start. But when the first hit he allowed — a Mookie Betts chopped single up the middle — so did more. Freddie Freeman walked. Trea Turner singled. Will Smith singled.
After three magnificent frames, Wood had a two-run fourth on his hands. One night after Carlos Rodón’s unbeaten streak with the Giants ended because of one rocky inning, it happened again. Any team can change a game in one inning, but a squad as talented as the Dodgers can make it happen so fast.
Like Rodón did 24 hours prior, Wood limited the damage. He competed. In the fifth inning, with his pitch count rising into the 80s, Wood struck out Cody Bellinger, Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux in order. He needed 10 sinkers and 10 sinkers only to retire Bellinger and Taylor.
But also like the night prior, the Giants struggled to capitalize on opportunities. Their aggression against Gonsolin constantly led to base runners, but things stopped there.
The Giants got the leadoff runner on base for every inning but the first. They bunted, walked, lined singles and found gaps for infield hits. But none of them — except Crawford — scored.
Two double plays erased leadoff runners. San Francisco went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five on base.
After Wood, who has yet to pitch six innings in a start this year, allowed a solo home run to Mookie Betts in the sixth, the Dodgers tacked on four more runs in the seventh against a combination of Mauricio Llovera and Sam Long. Then another two against Tyler Beede.
But even without those crooked numbers, LA’s two runs from the fourth would’ve been enough the way the Giants swung their bats.
Crawford’s second-inning home run that put the Giants ahead of the Dodgers for the first time in four games didn’t last. It didn’t hold like Longoria’s homer did in a 1-0 win. Not even close. That type of victory — crossing home plate once and leaving with a win — could be an outlier against these Dodgers.