Giants 3, Dodgers 2 (12 innings)
SAN FRANCISCO -- Pinch-hitter Alejandro De Aza's sacrifice fly scored Marlon Byrd from third base in the bottom of the 12th inning Monday night as the San Francisco Giants kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2.
Right-hander Jake Peavy pitched seven strong innings and catcher Trevor Brown had a two-run double as the Giants (82-74) kept the Dodgers (87-69) from clinching the National League West, trimming their lead to five games with six remaining.
L.A., which has lost four in a row, can clinch its sixth division title in the past 10 years Tuesday when ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw opposes reigning World Series Most Valuable Player Madison Bumgarner of the Giants.
The two teams also are scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday.
After the Dodgers had come from behind to forge a 2-2 tie against the Giants bullpen in the top of the ninth inning, the Giants rallied for the must-win in the last of the 12th after Byrd greeted right-hander Yimi Garcia (3-5), the seventh L.A. pitcher, with a single.
Second baseman Kelby Tomlinson followed with his second hit of the game, a single to right field, sending Byrd to third.
After Brown grounded to third for the inning's first out, De Aza hit a fly ball plenty deep into left field off Dodgers left-hander Adam Liberatore to give the Giants their third straight win.
The Dodgers stranded the potential go-ahead run in scoring position in three of the last four innings.
Right-hander Hunter Strickland (3-3), the sixth Giants pitcher, got the win after pitching 1 2/3 innings of one-hit relief.
The Giants took a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth, but the Dodgers rallied to tie after shortstop Corey Seager and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez led off with singles off left-hander Josh Osich.
After Giants closer Santiago Casilla entered the game and a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier produced a 2-2 tie with a grounder to second base, scoring Seager.
Casilla escaped further damage by getting Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley to ground to shortstop, stranding pinch-runner Ronald Torreyes at third.
In helping the Giants run their home record to 7-0 against the Dodgers this season, Peavy limited L.A. to three hits and one run in seven innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Osich retired three consecutive L.A. pinch-hitters in order in the eighth inning, but left after allowing the inning-opening singles to Seager and Gonzalez in the ninth.
The blown save was Casilla's sixth of the season.
Like Peavy, Dodgers starter Zack Greinke had nothing to show for seven innings of quality work. He allowed two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out seven.
Greinke was pitching for the first time in 10 days, having missed a start due to a calf injury.
One of the hits Greinke allowed was Brown's two-out, two-run double in the second inning that provided all the Giants' scoring.
Brown and Tomlinson had two hits apiece for San Francisco.
Seager, Ethier and late-game replacement Enrique Hernandez each had a pair of hits for the Dodgers.
Both teams finished with nine hits.
Brown's two-run double came after Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford got the uprising going with a one-out single off Greinke in the second.
A two-out single by Tomlinson set the stage for Brown, who had totaled just three RBIs in his first 22 at-bats for the Giants.
The Dodgers got back within 2-1 in the third against Peavy, their first run against Giants pitching after a 36-inning drought.
Seager drove in the run with a two-out single after left fielder Carl Crawford had singled and stolen second base.
NOTES: As a reminder to the Dodgers of their recent success, the Giants displayed their 2010, '12 and '14 World Series championship trophies behind the plate before the game. ... The Dodgers reinstated INF/OF Enrique Hernandez (strained left hamstring) from the disabled list Monday. ... Giants RF Marlon Byrd, acquired in-season from the Cincinnati Reds, began the week needing 23 plate appearances to trigger an $8 million bonus in his contract. ... The Dodgers entered the game having won four in a row against the Giants, but having lost six straight at AT&T Park. ... The Dodgers' franchise record for consecutive losses in San Francisco is nine, a streak that bridged the 1961 and '62 seasons.