Someone at the Center for Disease Control really should be working on a cure for Kike Hernandez. That, and an apparent allergy to horsehide.Hernandez homered twice off Madison Bumgarner, both solo shots which gave Los Angeles leads, as San Francisco fell to the Dodgers 7-3 Friday night at Chavez Latrine.
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| It really wasn't a good night for this guy. (Mark J. Terrill) |
The Giants were also done in by poor defense, in particular key error by Kelby Tomlinson who for the second time this young season botched a double play ball that led directly to a game getting away.
It was simply a lousy game for the Giants from start to finish. Bumgarner struggled, and when he did make pitches the defense deserted him. It was enough to make Giants fans cringe, and bad enough that some certainly considered a late screening of the cinematic turd "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" a preferable option to seeing this one through to completion.
The competitive aspect of the game was a memory before the fourth inning was completed. Heck, the nachos hadn't had a chance to get soggy.
The loss was the third in a row for San Francisco, which has seen a stellar 6-2 start devolve to a mediocre 6-5. Despite taking three of four from LA last week at AT&T Park, the Giants now trail the Dodgers by a full game in the NL West chase.
The cry "It's still early" was created for just such an occasion.
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| Yeah, it looked kind of like this. |
As for the Dodgers, they weren't exactly defensive wizards behind Clayton Kershaw. It was Howie Kendrick's misplay of a would-be double play ball, along with Keeshaw's own wild pitch, that plated the Giants first run. That tally came between Hernandez's two homers, the first a StatCast-estimated 450-foot blast on Bumgarner's initial offering and the second with a man gone in the third.
Then came one of the most frustrating innings of Bumgarner's career. The Dodgers struck for four runs, and they had plenty of help in doing so.
A walk to Justin Turner and a Kendrick single set the stage. Bumgarner whiffed Trace Thompson, then got AJ Ellis to roll a potential two ball to shortstop. Tomlinson, in for a gimpy Brandon Crawford, botched it. Yes, the same Tomlinson who flubbed a double play ball that would have sealed the only prior loss to LA, struck again.
The gaff loaded the bases, and the Dodgers cashed in the chance. Another error, this time from Joe Panik, plus a two-run double from (who else?) Hernandez were the key blows In a four-run frame and LA had a 6-1 lead.
Two errors, two singles and the Hernandez double were compiled in the Chronicle of Woe.
The Giants crept closer in the sixth when Kershaw uncorked his second run-scoring wild pitch, the Giants' most potent offensive weapon on this night. Hunter Pence got the only Giants RBI of the night when he singled to make it 6-3, but the Dodgers would answer in the bottom half.
Ellis doubled and former Giant Charlie Culberson singled him home. Tomlinson's second error of the night put two on with none out and signaled the end of Bumgarner's night. Corey Gearrin got out of the mess with a double play and comebacker but LA had its final margin.
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| Tomlinson: An even worse night. (Mark J. Terrill) |
The remainder of the game was notable only for the ML debut of Derek Law, just promoted to fill the spot of the injured Sergio Romo. And, of course, he had to pitch out of trouble he didn't create.
His first Major League hitter, Adrian Gonzalez, was also his first Major League strikeout victim. Pence's one-out dive for a Turner drive came up empty and became a three-bagger, but Law got out of the jam by himself by getting Ks two and three via Kendrick and Thompson.
George Kontos pitched a scoreless eighth, and an arm for the ninth wasn't needed.
Offensively the giants managed just five hits, all singles, off Kershaw and two relievers. Angel Pagan had two safeties with Panik, Pence and Bumgarner rounding out the slate.
It was simply a wretched outing for Bumgarner, who yielded seven runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk in five-plus innings. He struck out seven. He consistently fell behind hitters, and the Dodgers took advantage -- none more so than Hernandez. For his career he's batting .625 against MadBum with three home runs.
But the standout, and not in a good way, was Tomlinson, who with both bat and glove has looked little like the player who showed such promise a year ago. With Crawford ailing and Ehire Adrianza headed for an extended sabbatical after breaking his foor with a foul ball, the Giants might be looking for reinforcements.
It might be a stretch to bring shortstop and top-prospect Christian Arroyo, batting .375 through nine games at AA Richmond, but Crawford made a similar jump and never went back.
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