Giants 6, Dodgers 2
LOS ANGELES -- First baseman Brandon Belt and right fielder Justin Maxwell homered, and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 before a sellout crowd of 53,123 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Belt’s two-run blast capped the scoring and allowed the Giants (38-32) to cruise past the Dodgers for the fifth straight time and the ninth time in 11 meetings this season. They also closed within a 1/2 game of the first-place Dodgers (38-31) in the National League West.
Tim Hudson delivered a solid outing for the Giants, allowing two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Hudson (5-6), who won for only the second time in his career at Dodger Stadium, struck out three and walked two.
Dodgers starter Carlos Frias gave up six runs on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Frias (4-5) also hit two batters and served up the homers to Belt and Maxwell. It was the second start in a row Frias dropped to San Francisco. He allowed a run on seven hits in six innings May 19 in San Francisco.
Right fielder Joc Pederson hit his club-leading 18th home run and third baseman Justin Turner went deep with his eighth in back-to-back fashion in the first inning. The Dodgers, though, failed to score again.
Sacrifice flies by center fielder Angel Pagan and catcher Buster Posey staked the Giants to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning.
The Dodgers tied the score on consecutive home runs by Pederson, who blasted a solo shot on a 3-and-1 pitch from Hudson to the back of the visitors' bullpen in right, and Turner, who launched his into the seats in right.
Maxwell's two-run homer to left gave San Francisco a 4-2 lead in the fifth.
Giants left fielder Nori Aoki, who scored a run after being hit by a Frias' pitch, left the game after the top of the first because of a contusion on his lower leg. Maxwell replaced him.
NOTES: On Friday, Buster Posey became the first Giants catcher with a grand slam and a stolen base in the same game in 112 years. Roger Bresnahan accomplished the feat against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 28, 1903. The only other major-league catcher to do that over the last 28 seasons was Brian McCann, for the Atlanta Braves against the Phillies on July 25, 2008, according to Elias Sports Bureau. ... The Dodgers recalled RHP Matt West and optioned RHP Josh Ravin to Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... Giants RHP Tim Lincecum (7-3, 3.31 ERA) will face Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson (2-4, 3.43) on Sunday in the series finale.