Clayton Kershaw went four innings in his season debut, Nick Ahmed hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers finished off a 6-4 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon.
Kershaw gave up two runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in his first outing since he was roughed up in last year’s National League Division Series. The three-time Cy Young Award winner underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason.
Enrique Hernandez had three hits with two RBIs, while Shohei Ohtani followed Ahmed’s home run with one of his own as the Dodgers finished the season series against the rival Giants by winning nine of 13 games.
Heliot Ramos had three hits with an RBI for the Giants, while rookie Tyler Fitzgerald continued to produce with an RBI triple and a run scored. Fitzgerald had his five-game home-run streak snapped Wednesday.
Right-hander Logan Webb gave up four runs on nine hits over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts as the Giants fell to 2-5 since the All-Star break.
The win went to Blake Treinen (5-2), who came on with one out in the top of the eighth and gave up a single to Jorge Soler that tied the game at 4-4. Treinen then benefitted from the Dodgers’ homers in the bottom of the inning off losing pitcher Tyler Rogers (1-4).
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Gavin Lux walked, went to second base on a ground ball and scored on Hernandez’s single.
The Giants moved in front 2-1 on four consecutive hits to open the third inning, with Fitzgerald hitting an RBI triple to left field and Ramos following with an RBI single.
Hernandez delivered an RBI double and Austin Barnes followed with an RBI single to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. Barnes had two hits while extending his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games.
The Dodgers made it 4-2 in the fifth inning when Andy Pages scored as Jason Heyward grounded into a double play.
The Giants tied the score 4-4 in the eighth inning on an RBI double from Michael Conforto against Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia, and Soler’s hit off Treinen, with both runs charged to Vesia.
Ahmed’s home run, in his second game with the Dodgers, came against the team that released him earlier this month. Ohtani’s was his 31st, which extended his National League lead.
Dodgers right-hander Brent Honeywell pitched the ninth inning for his first career save.
–Field Level Media