SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, April 26, 2017

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1 SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, April 26, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants lose; Christian Arroyo gets 1st MLB hit off Clayton Kershaw Henry Schulman The baseball that Christian Arroyo sent into left field for his first big-league hit surely will be placed in a display box, with a brass plate noting the date, inning, where the ball went and the pitcher who threw it. Arroyo and his family would have cherished the shrine even if the pitcher s name had been Heath Dinglefroom. How wonderful for them that it actually will read Clayton Kershaw. Arroyo s family was in the stands to see his first-inning hit against one of the greatest ever to take the mound. They stuck around to see another ho-hum Kershaw triumph at AT&T Park, a 2-1 Dodgers victory that believe it or not cost the Giants another player. Brandon Crawford strained his right groin as he rounded first on an eighth-inning single that sent Buster Posey to third with two outs. Crawford left the game with no idea when he will return, before Kenley Jansen struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Belt to end the Giants final threat. I ve never had anything like that before, so I can t tell you how bad it is, Crawford said. It just felt tight. I didn t feel a pop. That s good news from what I hear. Crawford was to miss the next three games on bereavement leave, anyway. Manager Bruce Bochy said he hoped Crawford could get an MRI exam before he leaves for Southern California on Wednesday morning, but Crawford did not think that would be possible. He got hurt during the first of many turns that Madison Bumgarner will miss after his dirt-bike crash. Replacement Ty Blach allowed two runs in five innings. He threw 75 pitches, 50 more than his seasonhigh out of the bullpen. The runs scored in the fourth, after Blach ran his career-opening shutout streak against L.A. to 14 innings. The Dodgers tied the game 1-1 on Yasiel Puig s no-out single. The winning run scored on an Adrian Gonzalez grounder to Posey at first base. Posey looked Justin Turner back to third and threw to second to force Puig. Turner made a delayed dash home and Crawford fired a throw to Nick Hundley, who was not able to pluck the ball out of the dirt.

2 It would have been a great double play, in Bochy s words. It short-hopped him, Crawford said. It s not an easy play with a catcher s glove on, trying to make a tag and catch a ball in the dirt. I d like to say I should have made a better throw, but I put all I had behind it. Once Kershaw got the lead, he sniffed his 19th career win against the Giants and dominated through the seventh. Arroyo batted second in place of Belt, who sat with a career 3-for-51 against Kershaw, In his first at-bat, Arroyo attacked a first-pitch fastball and grounded it sharply through the hole. Asked if that was how he envisioned his first hit, Arroyo said, I didn t think I d get it off Kershaw. In the moment, I was ecstatic. Hopefully, there are many more where that came from and I look forward to competing against him again. Nobody gave Arroyo a Kershaw a scouting report. He watched video and remembered what he saw on SportsCenter. He said he went into battle mode after getting his first hit and was disappointed to strike out in the third with two runners on. Blach did get a scouting report before he blasted a double to left-center to lead off the third inning, his third career hit in five at-bats against Kershaw. The only pitcher with more hits against the Dodger, Bumgarner, approached Blach in the dugout and told him to look for something up and away because Blach had beaten him on an inside pitch the time before. That is exactly what Blach got. San Francisco Chronicle Giants Eduardo Nuñez confesses to not hustling Henry Schulman Madison Bumgarner was not the only Giant to fess up this week. Eduardo Nuñez, now a super-utility player with Christian Arroyo s arrival, said Tuesday that he was wrong for not running out some groundballs, one of which might have cost the Giants a chance to beat the Rockies. Nuñez also said he is still somewhat uncomfortable playing left field, but he expects that feeling to improve and he was happy to step aside for Arroyo. In the April 13 opener of a four-game home series against the Rockies, who were leading 2-0, Nuñez led off the fifth inning with a one-hopper to third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was playing in. Nuñez jogged out of the box as Arenado held the ball momentarily. When Nuñez finally sped up, Arenado made a wide throw that first baseman Mark Reynolds had to dive to catch. An out call was sustained by replay, the Giants went down and lost the game 2-1.

3 Nuñez also did not run out a grounder in Kansas City last week. No excuses. You have to run hard on every single ball, Nuñez said. Asked if the coaching staff talked to him about it, he said, They don t have to. I know what I m supposed to do. Asked about moving from third base to left field, Nuñez said, Whatever the team needs is the bottom line. The team is better with Arroyo. He s a great player.... I m a little uncomfortable (in left). That s normal. The more playing time I have, the more confidence I ll feel. I have to make the plays. Crawford to be away: Brandon Crawford will begin an absence Wednesday so he can join his wife, Jalynne, for the viewing and funeral for her sister Jennifer in Southern California. The Giants could have Crawford back for Friday s game against San Diego if they don t formally place him on leave, which must last three games. But they would not be allowed to replace him on the roster for Wednesday s and Thursday s games, and manager Bruce Bochy said the club needs another player because it already is short with Denard Span hurt. Perfection: Domenic Mazza, who was born in Walnut Creek and attended Clayton Valley High in Concord, threw an 85-pitch perfect game for the Giants low Class A Augusta, Ga., team in a 9-0 win at Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday. It s the first perfecto in South Atlantic League history. Mazza, 22, now has something to be known for besides allowing an Opening Day homer to Tim Tebow. Mazza was the Giants 22nd-round pick in San Francisco Chronicle Giants confirm Bumgarner does not need surgery Henry Schulman Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner will not require surgery on his separated left shoulder and will begin rehab work in four to five days, manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday. He s going to start some light work, Bochy said. It s going to be slow at first, nothing major. Things have calmed down a little. There ll be no surgery or anything. We re going to rehab this. Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said the medical staff continues to get other opinions and expects to divulge a firm diagnosis Wednesday. On Friday, a day after Bumgarner crashed a dirt bike near Denver, the Giants said the left-hander bruised some ribs and incurred a Grade 1 or 2 sprain of the AC joint in his pitching shoulder. A sprained AC joint means the shoulder is separated. A Grade 1 sprain means the ligament is stretched. Grade 2 signifies a tear. Although the Giants have not offered an official prognosis, they expect Bumgarner to miss at least two months. Meanwhile, Matt Cain got good news.

4 Bochy said diagnostic tests on Cain s right hamstring came back clean, and the right-hander is expected to take his next scheduled turn against the Padres on Saturday. Cain left Monday night s 2-1 victory with hamstring tightness after pitching six shutout innings. He also took a Yasmani Grandal comebacker off his right foot, which remains sore. San Francisco Chronicle Beyond the wins and losses, times of grave concern Bruce Jenkins It s a different kind of conversation in the Bay Area s sporting circles these days, laced with shock and concern. Conventional topics beckon the Warriors playoff run, Christian Arroyo s arrival, the 49ers draft options but it comes back to this: Have we ever had such a strange year in sports? With such disturbing ramifications? The Bay Area s Mount Rushmore surely includes Steve Kerr, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Bruce Bochy (it s a jam-packed Rushmore, no doubt), but just now, we ponder not their accomplishments, but the rest of their lives. In terms of performance, we ve had worse years in the Bay Area. Take 1979, for instance. The A s finished and drew 306,763 fans for the season. The Giants were 71-91, riddled with dissension, and fired manager Joe Altobelli in September. The Warriors were reasonably entertaining, but they finished sixth (and last) in the Pacific Division at The Raiders lost three of their first four games, finished fourth in the AFC West and watched the playoffs from home. And the 49ers, on the verge of greatness, went 2-14 in head coach Bill Walsh s first season with the franchise. In retrospect, those are just a bunch of numbers. People get over things, look ahead to better times. What s happening now is plainly troubling, and seemingly without letup. The Warriors did their head coach a huge favor by sweeping their first-round series in Portland on Monday night. They won t play again until Sunday, at the earliest (it would be Tuesday if Clippers-Jazz goes the full seven games), giving Kerr a chance to address his condition with the best available specialists, no distractions in play. He surely will be in touch with the team, but this is an in-season opportunity that rarely comes along, and he needs some answers about the spinal-fluid leaks that have tormented him for far too long. Those close to Kerr, especially general manager Bob Myers, don t lose sight of his ongoing crisis. I caught up with Myers in a corner of Oracle Arena on May 30, when the Warriors beat Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. People were hugging and high-fiving all around him; it was one of the greatest wins in franchise history. In a brief chat, Myers quietly offered a sobering reminder that Kerr was nowhere close to recovery, and that his noble stance and perseverance should never be taken for granted. It s amazing, to all of us in the media, how Kerr remains so consistently funny, generous and informative in his interviews. No matter how much discomfort he might feel, he ll take time to acknowledge

5 remarkable feats in other sports, speak out against social injustice or make clear his disgust with the Trump administration. Kerr remains the complete man, even in his broken state. And yet we realize that his condition, so alarmingly relentless, could lead to retirement. As for Bochy, who has undergone three heart procedures over the past three years, we get a look into the character and toughness of the Giants leader, and how effortlessly he puts everyone at ease when the subject of his health arises. Baseball is his tonic, his healer. He smiled broadly and often Monday night as the Giants, finally looking like themselves, knocked off the Dodgers. Still, whenever those dugout shots find coaches Ron Wotus and Dave Righetti in conference, you wonder how the future unfolds. With either of those men, the Giants would be left in capable hands. You just hope it s a natural progression, nothing immediate, with Bochy getting the full measure of his managerial career before retiring to the easy chair. Bochy was a big-league catcher for nine years, and like all of his contemporaries, he took some wicked shots to the head (Pete Rose once leveled Bochy in a frightening home-plate collision that sent him flying). As such and with the benefit of progressive thinking toward concussions Bochy fully understands what Posey means to the Giants, and what the future holds. Now we re all thinking along with the club, wondering about the first-base option as Posey clings to his principles. And there is no easy answer. If the Giants leave a big decision up to Posey, they ll know it s the right call. That wouldn t be the case with Bumgarner, so humbled by his decision to go dirt-biking in Denver. As we worry about the health of Kerr, Bochy and Posey, it s a little bit different with Bumgarner. He ll pitch again, and he ll do it this season whether the Giants are contending or not. He needs to get back on the horse, so to speak (he can relate), and be the able town sheriff. Will he ever be quite the same? Will the Giants? That s the Bay Area s state of mind right now, on so many fronts. The mythical Mount Rushmore is covered with scaffolding, workers trying to finesse a resurrection. And the chips keep falling. San Francisco Chronicle Giants fans light up for rallies Sam Whiting In the bottom of the seventh inning of a tight game against the Dodgers, Giants fan Marc G-Man Roberts put down his glove and reached for his cell phone. From his perch in the right-field arcade at AT&T Park, he scanned the upper deck for a signal and then it came. A single flicker became two flickers, causing Roberts to whip out his phone, punch up the flashlight app and hold it high. Instantaneously, fans on all levels did the same and it looked as if fireflies had replaced the customary late-inning seagulls. The flashlight rally was on. A trend, said Roberts, before upgrading it to a new tradition.

6 No one knows how it started, but this much is known for sure in a month in which not much else has worked for the Giants, the flashlight rally has gotten the job done. It just happened organically and caught on like wildfire, public-address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon said. Oh, boy, you couldn t miss it. It was awesome. The necessary elements appear to be thus: the seventh inning, a man on base and long at-bats to allow the light show to build. In the bottom of the seventh Tuesday, there wasn t time for it to become an actual, official, full-blown, can t-fail flashlight rally. The Giants had a man on with two outs and Hunter Pence up when the cell phones started to shine. But the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw was lights-out quick, getting Pence to ground out on three pitches. The lights first appeared on an Orange Friday, April 14, in the seventh inning with the Giants protecting a 4-2 lead over Colorado. The inning began with two strikeouts, before Brandon Belt came to the plate with a man on base. Mike Muldowney, a splash-cam operator for NBC Sports Bay Area, zoomed across the stadium to flashing lights in the left-field upper deck, above the See s Candy sign. Belt, who had been in a 1-for-19 slump, started fouling off pitches, and with each foul ball more cellphone flashlights appeared. It just kind of started and kept growing, Muldowney said. Next thing you know, the stadium is lit up. Rusty Phillips, who was working the TV camera by the Giants dugout, saw bulbs flashing in a way that he had not seen since Barry Bonds was going after the home run record. Phillips set his camera on a wide angle and caught a sea of flash as Belt swung on the 13th pitch he saw, ripping a base hit that center fielder Charlie Blackmon booted, allowing a run to score, as if a Voodoo spell had been cast. The flashlights stayed on as the Giants strung together five singles to score four runs, the only time they have been that efficient all season. There was something to this new flash mob. I ve only seen that at a rock concert, never a baseball game, said Jon Miller, who had been doing the telecast that Friday. He posted a photo to his Instagram account, with the hashtags #rallylights and #fridaynightlights, and 2,585 followers liked it. Comments ranged from beautiful to magical, though one follower with an Orange County handle commented that the flash has been a tradition with the Angels for years. Another mentioned that they do it during night games at the University of Wisconsin. Monday s game against the Dodgers was the first home night game since that Orange Friday, and broadcaster Duane Kuiper was skeptical of the lights returning. I don t think it s going to happen again, Kuiper said before the first pitch, because I don t think people knew why it happened the first time. There have been rumors that it was a social-media call to action but there is no evidence of that. One theory is that the house lights are lower this season, making the stands darker, fostering the necessary contrast to the bright white light.

7 If it s going to happen again, it s going to happen in this four-game series against the Dodgers, Brooks- Moon said. When the Giants came to bat in the seventh inning, they were holding a one-run lead and were in need of insurance. That s when G-Man Roberts, 53, who lives in Pinole and has gotten some TV time for his suit of orange from wig to toe and his habit of standing in the arcade with his glove raised, ready to catch a home run reached for his phone. It could happen anytime, he said. Then it did. Don t turn on those phones, screamed one arcade standee, but it was too late. It s a light rally, said Joe Phillips, of Pittsburg. It happened before and now it s happening again. Jennifer Rosas, from Manteca, had not seen the lights before and had no hint they were coming. But she knew what to do when she saw them and instructed her daughter, Amanda Rosas, and their friend, Dominique Vargas. I turned to them and said, Let s do this, Rosas said. I feel like I m part of the fans, which is exciting to me. Then came the chant Beat L.A., with the flashlights pulsing. It gets the batter pumped up and gets inside the pitcher s head, said Noah Roberts, son of G-Man. Sure enough, Joe Panik singled. Drew Stubbs drew a walk, moving Panik to second. He then scored on a Pence single. For two consecutive games, the rally lights had delivered runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. In this case, it made it 2-0, Giants, in a game they would win 2-1. The rally towel had been made obsolete by tech innovation. It worked, Rosas said. In the middle of the eighth inning, the fan anthem Lights, by Journey, came on but far fewer flashlights came out. These lights are not for singalongs. Only rallies. San Jose Mercury News Christian Arroyo creates a memory, but Kershaw too much for Giants Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO Christian Arroyo narrowed his eyes and started his hands. He had faced Clayton Kershaw plenty of times, but that version was an assemblage of pixels and 32-bit color. Here he was in full flesh, his jaw loose, descending into that bunny-hop delivery. Arroyo was not awestruck, nor was he keen to browse.

8 The 21-year-old rookie with the thick shock of hair made his first major league hit a whistling single off a three-time Cy Young Award winner, creating a memory in the first inning for himself and a sellout crowd amid the Giants 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night. I figured maybe he d come after me, said Arroyo, who swung at the first pitch. I said, `Hey, a heater, put a good swing on it. I got a good result. The Giants did not. Left-hander Ty Blach made a game effort, contributing with his bat and glove as well as completing five innings while replacing Madison Bumgarner in the rotation. But Kershaw was Kershaw. He pitched through some early wrinkles and a cramping calf, and by the end of his seven innings, it was all hard stuff and hammer curves. He adapted to Arroyo, too, throwing twostrike sliders that resulted in a pair of strikeouts. Blach hit a leadoff double in the third inning and scored when Buster Posey snuck a two-strike single through the left side an event that prompted Kershaw to tenderize his glove with three furious punches. But as he so often does, Kershaw came out ahead on the final cards. Yasiel Puig hit an RBI single in the fourth and Justin Turner contributed a deft bit of baserunning to score the tiebreaking run on a fielder s choice as the Dodgers drew even two games into this four-game series. We re just a little short there at the end with players, and with the injuries we re dealing with, said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who couldn t pinch-run for Posey when the club mounted a rally against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth. Those little things probably caught up with us at the end. Add shortstop Brandon Crawford to the MRI punch card club. He followed Posey s single off Jansen with a hit down the left field line but grabbed at his right groin as he rounded first base. The Giants already knew they would be without Crawford for the remaining two games of this series while he attends funeral services for his sister-in-law. The club is expected to place Crawford on the three-day bereavement list and call up another player, likely Kelby Tomlinson. The question is whether their infield captain and Gold Glove shortstop will be ready to play this weekend. I really haven t felt anything like that before, so I can t tell you how bad it is, said Crawford, who was replaced by pinch runner Jeff Samardzija. It just felt tight. I didn t feel a pop, so from what I hear, that s good news. Blach, who was a revelation as a September callup in a pennant stretch last year, entered with 11 career scoreless innings against the Dodgers. He extended his run to 14 before beginning his two-run fourth with a walk to Corey Seager and two singles. It appeared that Blach might escape with a 1-1 tie when Adrian Gonzalez hit a grounder to Posey at first base. But Posey has a catcher s instincts, and he paused to ensure Turner did not start from third before throwing to Crawford covering second base.

9 Turner bolted as the ball left Posey s hand, and catcher Nick Hundley couldn t handle Crawford s skipping throw to the plate. It short-hopped him, and that s not an easy play with a catcher s glove on to swipe tag, Crawford said. I d like to say I should ve made a better throw. But I got rid of it as quickly as I could and I put as much on it as I could. Nobody expects Blach to equal what Bumgarner brings to the rotation. But the rookie did a pretty good job of replicating what Bumgarner brings to the lineup. Blach s double in the third inning was his third career hit in five at-bats and all of them have come against Kershaw. He also knocked the Dodgers ace for two singles in an Oct. 1 start last year. How remarkable is that? Well, consider that Kershaw has given up three hits to just one other pitcher: Bumgarner, who has four. Even Bryce Harper has just two hits in 22 career at-bats against Kershaw. (And Posey? His RBI single was his 22nd hit against Kershaw. No major leaguer has more.) Blach contributed with his glove, too. The left-hander showed why he won the Gold Glove award among all minor league pitchers in 2015, spearing a line drive from Kiké Hernandez as if playing catch to end the fifth inning. It came after Blach had thrown his 75th and final pitch of the night, and also after one of Bochy s rare mound visits in which he does not ask for the baseball. The Giants received as much as could be expected from Blach, considering he hadn t thrown more than 25 pitches in an outing since the spring. He didn t even get the chance to stretch out in a side session because the Giants used him in relief Friday at Coors Field. The late innings churned with constant drama. George Kontos got Andrew Toles to chase a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning, and Hunter Strickland blew a fastball past Yasmani Grandal to strand two in the eighth. And when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tapped Jansen for a four-out save, Posey and Crawford tapped back. But pinch hitter Brandon Belt complained about a high pitch taken for strike two, then swung through another to end the inning. Jansen set the Giants down in order in the ninth. We ve had three or four (games) where we re right there, said Bochy, and we just can t get over the hump to pull one out. Maybe a precocious, 21-year-old rookie can do something about that. He will face lesser pitchers than Kershaw. He is bound to get hits off some of them. I just envisioned getting one, Arroyo said. I didn t think it d be against a guy the caliber of Kershaw. In that moment, I was ecstatic. Hopefully there will be many more where that came from. I look forward to competing against him again.

10 San Jose Mercury News Giants Brandon Crawford exits game early with strained groin Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO The Giants already knew they would be without Brandon Crawford for at least the final two games of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now they can t be sure when their Gold Glove shortstop and infield captain will return. Crawford grimaced and pulled up lame after rounding first base in the eighth inning Tuesday night, and after attempting to jog down the line, he exited for pinch runner Jeff Samardzija. Crawford was diagnosed with a strained right groin, but the severity might not be known for several days. An MRI exam probably won t be possible before Crawford leaves Wednesday morning for Southern California, where he will attend funeral services for his sister-in-law. Jennifer Pippin, the oldest sister of Crawford s wife, Jalynne, died unexpectedly April 12 when she suffered an asthma attack. She leaves behind a husband and two small children. The Giants are expected to put Crawford on the three-day bereavement list so they can recall another healthy player likely infielder Kelby Tomlinson in his absence. The club already is playing short with a 13-man pitching staff, and center fielder Denard Span s sprained shoulder is expected to keep him out until Thursday. We re just a little short there at the end with players, and with the injuries we re dealing with, said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who couldn t pinch-run for Buster Posey when the club mounted a rally against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss. Those little things probably caught up with us at the end. Crawford followed Posey s two-out single with a hit down the left field line, and was going for second base when he said he felt tightness. I felt it one step, then felt it again, and so I shut it down, Crawford said. I really haven t felt anything like that before, so I can t tell you how bad it is. It just felt tight. I didn t feel a pop, so from what I hear, that s good news. Pinch hitter Brandon Belt struck out to strand both runners, and Eduardo Nuñez moved from left field to shortstop in the ninth. Nuñez likely would become the everyday shortstop in the event Crawford must go on the 10-day disabled list. San Jose Mercury News Madison Bumgarner starting to calm down, will begin rehab work soon Andrew Baggarly The Giants have not released an official timetable for their left-handed ace, who has a sprained left shoulder and bruised ribs after wiping out on a dirt bike on Colorado last Thursday. But Giants manager

11 Bruce Bochy said Bumgarner already is feeling improvement and will begin some light rehab activities within four to five days. Things are starting to calm down a little bit, Bochy said. And it s good news that there s no surgery. If that were the case, he d be out for the year. So we got good news on that. Bumgarner was diagnosed in Denver with a Grade 1 or 2 sprain of the AC joint in his left shoulder. The Giants medical and training staff was assembling all their information and expected to deliver a more comprehensive report on Bumgarner to reporters on Wednesday. An AC joint sprain is another way to describe a separated shoulder. The question is whether Bumgarner stretched ligaments or partially tore them. The expectation for now is that Bumgarner would require at least two months of rest and rehab work before he could be ready to throw off a mound. And then he would need to rebuild his pitch count while hoping to avoid any setbacks a process likely to take at least a few more weeks. A sprained AC joint is an injury more common among NFL quarterbacks. San Jose Mercury News Mark Melancon: Giants fully support Bumgarner after accident Daniel Mano Giants closer Mark Melancon made it clear Tuesday that the team fully supports Madison Bumgarner following the ace s dirt bike accident last week. We ve all got his back, Melancon told KNBR s Tolbert & Lund. Obviously, Bum wasn t out to get hurt and we all know that Him being so honest and out-front, I think that important. That s what being a role model is, is showing up and saying, Hey I messed up. and he did that.' It s not like he s going to be on that DL any minute longer than he has to, we all know that, Melancon said. So if it was different if he was going to milk the DL and be on their a little bit longer and run that route then I don t think guys would really be behind him as much. But we know that s not the case. KNBR host Tom Tolbert asked Melancon about the fine line of players living life outside of baseball. You have to have a gauge. You have to understand what s really dangerous and what s not, Melancon said. Sometimes on the outside it looks dangerous but we all know it s not. And what level of intensity you re going at (matters). But there s certain things that you probably shouldn t do, and Bum knows that. Nine out of 100 times, nothing happens (to him). But when that one thing does happen and that s the activity that you re doing it looked bad. I think he ll definitely learn from this. And I think all of us will learn from this. Melancon started the interview on a lighter note, joking about Buster Posey after the catcher picked a runner off second base to end the game with the closer on the mound.

12 He always has to kind of steal the thunder, Melancon said. I felt like (the Dodgers Adrian Gonzalez) had two strikes, and it s a perfect set-up for a strikeout. Of course, (Posey) comes in and steals the show. MLB.com Strong Blach loses rematch with Kershaw Ken Gurnick and Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Creating another episode in what could develop into a long-running series, Los Angeles' Clayton Kershaw and San Francisco's Ty Blach combined to forge their second compelling matchup in as many meetings Tuesday as the Dodgers outlasted the Giants, 2-1. Kershaw played the role of an ace perfectly as he yielded San Francisco's lone run and six hits in seven innings. Kershaw pitched nearly the entire game in discomfort, having been hit on the right calf by the first batter he faced, Hunter Pence. "He knew what this game meant for us," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "We needed to win this game. With some of the things going on [injuries and short starts], we needed to turn it up today." Kershaw thus evened the score against Blach, a fellow left-hander who permitted two runs and four hits in five innings. Last Oct. 1, the rookie lasted eight innings to defeat the formidable Kershaw, 3-0. "I think it doesn't matter who you're going up against. Every time, you want to compete and give your team a chance to win," said Blach, who has one Major League victory to Kershaw's 130 and zero Cy Young Awards to Kershaw's three. "It doesn't matter who that matchup is. Obviously, you know it's going to be Kershaw, so you need to keep your team close." Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Belt with two on and two outs in the eighth inning before working the ninth to secure his fifth save and third four-out save of the season. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Turner's alert trip: The Dodgers may have stolen a run in the fourth inning. With runners at the corners, nobody out and a run in, Adrian Gonzalez hit a grounder to first baseman Buster Posey, the All-Star catcher who switched positions so another right-handed batter (Nick Hundley) could get in the game. Posey glanced briefly at Justin Turner, the runner at third, to hold him there, then threw to second base for a forceout. Immediately upon taking Posey's relay, shortstop Brandon Crawford fired the ball home and might have nabbed the sliding Turner. But his throw short-hopped Hundley, who couldn't hold on to the ball long enough to make the tag. "That just says something about the player," said Roberts. "Last night he makes an aggressive play that gets him to second base [on a wild pitch], then he makes an aggressive play and gets thrown out to end the game. He plays the way you're supposed to play. To read the throw, and make Crawford make a perfect throw, that was the deciding run, and credit to J.T." At bat, Blach's at home: Maybe Blach should teach a seminar on handling Kershaw. He ran his improbable batting average against the Dodgers ace to.600 (3-for-5) by launching a third-inning double

13 in two at-bats. He proceeded to score the Giants' lone run on Posey's single. When their paths crossed last Oct. 1, Blach went 2-for-3 off Kershaw. "Sometimes you just swing hard and get lucky," Blach said. "Actually, Madison [Bumgarner] came over before the game and said, 'Hey, he's probably going to try to throw you up and in since he threw you [outside] last time.' So I was kind of looking for a pitch in that vicinity." QUOTABLE "Sometimes you're aggressive on the bases and look [stupid]. Sometimes you're aggressive on the bases and it wins a ballgame." Turner A PAIR OF FIRSTS This was a big night for one prospect from each team, Los Angeles left fielder Cody Bellinger and San Francisco third baseman Christian Arroyo. Each collected his first Major League hit. Arroyo's was a firstinning single; Bellinger's was a ninth-inning single. "It's one of those things I won't forget," Arroyo said. "Hopefully, there'll be many more where that came from." Bellinger's came on a 3-0 pitch he cued for an infield single. "Not what I expected it to be, but I'll take it," said Bellinger, son of former Major Leaguer Clay Bellinger. "I think I'm going to give it to my mom. I think she'd enjoy it the most." UPON FURTHER REVIEW San Francisco's Eduardo Nunez appeared to be thrown at second on a stolen-base attempt to end the first inning. But the Giants challenged the ruling, which was overturned. The Dodgers challenged a safe call at third base by umpire Todd Tichenor on Posey, who went first to third on a single by Crawford. The call was confirmed and Posey was safe. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Alex Wood gets his third start this year in place of the injured Rich Hill in the Wednesday 7:15 p.m. PT game, while Cody Bellinger is expected to get his second Major League start in the outfield after his callup Tuesday. Wood is 0-2 against the Giants and has an 8.31 ERA at AT&T Park. Giants: Johnny Cueto's coming off his first loss of the season, having allowed all of Colorado's runs in a 6-5 setback last Friday. Facing the Dodgers in Wednesday's 7:15 p.m. PT contest might benefit Cueto, who finished 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in five starts against Los Angeles last season. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. MLB.com Giants to miss Crawford for at least 2 days Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- You might say that Giants manager Bruce Bochy feels hamstrung, though he'd probably prefer not to use a body part as an expression to describe his club's injury predicament.

14 Given the Giants' shortage of able-bodied position players, they might be fortunate that the 2-1 setback they were dealt Tuesday by the Los Angeles Dodgers did not extend into extra innings. With their luck, they just might have run out of players. "We were a little short there at the end, with the injuries we're dealing with," Bochy said. For instance, he explained, he couldn't use a pinch-runner for Buster Posey after he rapped a two-out single in the eighth inning. That's basic strategy most managers would employ. "These little things," Bochy said, "probably caught up with us at the end." One factor wasn't so little: the right groin strain that shortstop Brandon Crawford sustained while rounding first base in the eighth inning. The Giants were due to lose Crawford for at least the next two games while he attends his sister-in-law's funeral. He's allowed to take three days off and go on the bereavement list, which would enable the Giants to add a player and replenish their bench somewhat. But Bochy said Crawford wasn't sure whether he'd use the third day. Depending on the condition of his groin, Crawford might need the rest. "At this point, I'd put him at day to day," Bochy said. The Giants intended to schedule an MRI examination for Crawford to determine the injury's extent before he departs. "It tightened up on me," Crawford said. "I've never had anything like that before. I didn't feel a pop or anything like that, so from what I hear, that's good news." Before he was injured, Crawford was performing at his usual level. He singled off reliever Pedro Baez in the eighth as the Giants mounted an ultimately fruitless rally. And he nearly turned what would have been a dazzling double play in the fourth inning. With runners at the corners, nobody out and a run in, Adrian Gonzalez hit a grounder to Posey, who moved to first base so another right-handed batter, catcher Nick Hundley, could get in the game against left-handed Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Posey glanced briefly at Justin Turner, the runner at third, to hold him there, then threw to second base for a forceout. Immediately upon taking Posey's relay, Crawford fired the ball home and might have nabbed the sliding Turner. But his low throw handcuffed Hundley, who couldn't hold on to the ball long enough to make the tag. "That's not an easy play with a catcher's glove on to try to make tht swipe tag while trying to dig [the ball] out of the dirt," Crawford said. "I'd like to say I should have made a better throw, but I got rid of it as fast as I could and put as much behind it as I could. It's one of those things where it's worth the risk to try to get the runner at home."

15 MLB.com Cueto seeks return to dominance vs. Dodgers Ken Gurnick With Julio Urias up from the Minor Leagues to start on Thursday, Wednesday night's start for Alex Wood against the Giants could be his last for a while with a return to a long relief role possible. Wood has been on a short leash in two starts this season as the substitute for the injured Rich Hill. He has pitched a total of only 8 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs for a 5.40 ERA. He has 10 strikeouts but also six walks in those two starts. The last time he started against the Giants was a year ago at AT&T Park when he allowed five runs in five innings of a 12-6 Dodgers loss. The Giants, meanwhile, throw Johnny Cueto. Although he has scuffled to a 5.25 ERA in four starts this year, against the Dodgers last year he was 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in five starts. Things to know about this game Cody Bellinger made his Major League debut batting eighth against left-handed starter Ty Blach on Tuesday night, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is likely to move him up in the order while starting him in left or center field against the right-handed Cueto. Though Wood throws left-handed, left-handed-batting first baseman Brandon Belt likely will return to the Giants lineup after not starting Tuesday. Manager Bruce Bochy will have to shuffle personnel elsewhere, as shortstop Brandon Crawford, who strained his right groin in Tuesday's game, is expected to begin his bereavement leave to attend his sister-in-law's funeral. With Logan Forsythe on the disabled list, Roberts has wanted to play Chase Utley at second base against right-handed pitching, although he's off to the worst start of his career (1-for-29). While struggling at Coors Field in his last outing, Cueto recorded just two swinging strikes out of 92 pitches. That 3.3 percent rate was his second-lowest in a start since the beginning of the 2015 season. MLB.com Bumgarner won't need surgery on shoulder Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that left-hander Madison Bumgarner will not require surgery on his sprained left shoulder and could begin light workouts in four to five days, but that won't accelerate the timetable of the ace pitcher's recovery -- mainly because no timetable exists yet. Bumgarner, who sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in a dirt-bike accident outside of Denver during last Thursday's scheduled off-day, is believed to need at least two months of recovery. In other injury-related news, an MRI examination proved that right-hander Matt Cain avoided serious damage to his right hamstring, increasing the likelihood that he'll be able to make his next scheduled start Saturday against San Diego at AT&T Park.

16 Bochy did not commit to naming a replacement if Cain's unable to pitch, though he acknowledged long reliever Chris Stratton would be the logical choice. Bochy added that center fielder Denard Span could be ready to resume playing by Thursday, given his smooth recovery from a sprained right shoulder. The Giants also must decide whether to put Brandon Crawford on the three-day bereavement list, since the All-Star shortstop conceivably could return from his sister-in-law's funeral after two days. San Francisco's already-thin bench would be further challenged if Span and Crawford were gone or unavailable simultaneously without a player added to the roster. Nunez eagerly accepts LF duty Eduardo Nunez has calmly accepted the Giants' left-field duties, which was a product of the club's recent lineup shuffling. "Just put me there. I'm down," said Nunez, San Francisco's erstwhile regular third baseman. "There's no question about it. It doesn't matter where I play. I want to win." Nunez, who has appeared in 31 games as an outfielder during parts of eight Major League seasons, pointed out he'll need on-the-job training. Coping with wind and mastering fly balls or line drives hit directly over his head -- typically one of the most difficult plays for any outfielder -- are among the challenges he cited. "The more I practice, the more playing time I get, the more comfortable I'm going to feel," he said. NBC Sports Bay Area CRAWFORD STRAINS RIGHT GROIN IN EIGHTH INNING OF GIANTS' 2-1 LOSS TO DODGERS Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO Brandon Crawford was always going to miss the final two games of this series to attend the funeral of his sister-in-law. The Giants are now hoping an MRI result shows that Crawford won t miss any time beyond his three days on bereavement leave. Crawford pulled up with a right groin strain as he rounded first on a base hit in the eighth. After jogging a bit in the outfield, he was pulled from the game. It tightened up, Crawford said. I haven t really felt anything like that before. I ve never really had anything like this before. It just felt tight. I didn t feel a pop or anything, and from what I hear, that s good news. Crawford s liner off Kenley Jansen sent Buster Posey from first to third. Cody Bellinger's throw went into third and Crawford was busting it for second when his leg shut down. He said he could feel the pain in his groin as he tried to run it off. (Trainer Dave Groeschner) told me it wasn t a great idea to try and push it, Crawford said. Ordinarily, the Giants would send Crawford for an MRI on Wednesday, but he is flying down to Los Angeles for two days of services. Crawford originally told manager Bruce Bochy that he could be back in

17 time for Friday s game, but the Giants already playing without Denard Span and with a short bench were planning to put Crawford on the bereavement list and call up an extra position player. Eduardo Nuñez moved over to short in the ninth and he s Crawford s primary backup. Christian Arroyo, called up Monday, can also play the position. The Giants have Kelby Tomlinson and Orlando Calixte on the 40-man and one of them is likely to join the team Wednesday. --- Arroyo and Bellinger are two of the NL West s top prospects, and they got their first big league hits on the same night. Arroyo got a first-pitch fastball at the letters from Clayton Kershaw and roped it into left field. I figured he would come at me, Arroyo said. I said, Hey man, see a heater and take a good swing at it. I just envisioned getting (a big league hit) but I didn t think it would be off a guy the caliber of Kershaw. In the moment I was excited. That s something you don t forget. Arroyo s family won t forget it, either. His parents and two younger siblings were here and they went nuts as Arroyo rounded first. That s always a cool moment. --- Ty Blach has three big league hits and all of them are off Kershaw. Sometimes you just swing hard and get lucky, I guess, he said. There s only one active pitcher who has more hits against Kershaw than Blach. That s Madison Bumgarner, who has taken him deep twice. A year ago, Bumgarner walked into the video room and asked Matt Duffy if he wanted advice on hitting Kershaw. On Tuesday, he gave Blach some advice. Madison before the game came up and said he s going to throw you up and in because he threw it low and away last (year), Blach said. I was looking for a pitch in that vicinity. Bumgarner knows Kershaw well. Blach got a fastball up and he knocked it over a drawn-in outfield for a double. --- We re 10 paragraphs into this story without a score. The Giants lost 2-1, but it s hard to dissect this one too much. When the Dodgers get 25 outs from Kershaw and Kenley Jansen, they re going to win that game nine out of 10 times. Kershaw lowered his season ERA to The Giants gave him a little bit of trouble early, but he turned it on in the middle innings. He settled in and he was as tough as he normally is, manager Bruce Bochy said. The thing you hope is to create some chances. We had a couple. The eventual winning run came across on a strange play in the fourth. With runners on the corners, Adrian Gonzalez hit a bouncer to first. Posey looked Justin Turner back to third and then threw to Crawford at second for one out. Crawford spun and fired a strike home to try and get Turner, who had taken off. The throw skipped in the dirt and Nick Hundley couldn t handle it. Turner made it 2-1, and that was that.

18 Bochy said he had no problem with how that play went down. All the decisions were right, it was just a tough double-play to pull off. I d like to say I should have made a better throw but I got rid of it as fast as I could and I put as much on it as I could, Crawford said. The Giants were a couple inches behind Turner on Tuesday. On Monday, they were just ahead of him, with Posey picking him off second to end the game. It s been that type of series between these two. --- I saw a lot of grumbling on Twitter about Yasmani Grandal pulling balls back into the strike zone in the late innings. Be careful what you wish for, Giants fans. Posey might be the best pitch-framer in the game. Any change that would keep guys like Grandal from fooling umps would hurt the Giants more than most. NBC Sports Bay Area CRAWFORD STRAINS RIGHT GROIN IN EIGHTH INNING OF GIANTS' 2-1 LOSS TO DODGERS Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO Brandon Crawford was always going to miss the final two games of this series to attend the funeral of his sister-in-law. The Giants are now hoping an MRI result shows that Crawford won t miss any time beyond his three days on bereavement leave. Crawford pulled up with a right groin strain as he rounded first on a base hit in the eighth. After jogging a bit in the outfield, he was pulled from the game. It tightened up, Crawford said. I haven t really felt anything like that before. I ve never really had anything like this before. It just felt tight. I didn t feel a pop or anything, and from what I hear, that s good news. Crawford s liner off Kenley Jansen sent Buster Posey from first to third. Cody Bellinger's throw went into third and Crawford was busting it for second when his leg shut down. He said he could feel the pain in his groin as he tried to run it off. (Trainer Dave Groeschner) told me it wasn t a great idea to try and push it, Crawford said. Ordinarily, the Giants would send Crawford for an MRI on Wednesday, but he is flying down to Los Angeles for two days of services. Crawford originally told manager Bruce Bochy that he could be back in time for Friday s game, but the Giants already playing without Denard Span and with a short bench were planning to put Crawford on the bereavement list and call up an extra position player. Eduardo Nuñez moved over to short in the ninth and he s Crawford s primary backup. Christian Arroyo, called up Monday, can also play the position. The Giants have Kelby Tomlinson and Orlando Calixte on the 40-man and one of them is likely to join the team Wednesday. --- Arroyo and Bellinger are two of the NL West s top prospects, and they got their first big league hits on the same night. Arroyo got a first-pitch fastball at the letters from Clayton Kershaw and roped it into left field.

19 I figured he would come at me, Arroyo said. I said, Hey man, see a heater and take a good swing at it. I just envisioned getting (a big league hit) but I didn t think it would be off a guy the caliber of Kershaw. In the moment I was excited. That s something you don t forget. Arroyo s family won t forget it, either. His parents and two younger siblings were here and they went nuts as Arroyo rounded first. That s always a cool moment. --- Ty Blach has three big league hits and all of them are off Kershaw. Sometimes you just swing hard and get lucky, I guess, he said. There s only one active pitcher who has more hits against Kershaw than Blach. That s Madison Bumgarner, who has taken him deep twice. A year ago, Bumgarner walked into the video room and asked Matt Duffy if he wanted advice on hitting Kershaw. On Tuesday, he gave Blach some advice. Madison before the game came up and said he s going to throw you up and in because he threw it low and away last (year), Blach said. I was looking for a pitch in that vicinity. Bumgarner knows Kershaw well. Blach got a fastball up and he knocked it over a drawn-in outfield for a double. --- We re 10 paragraphs into this story without a score. The Giants lost 2-1, but it s hard to dissect this one too much. When the Dodgers get 25 outs from Kershaw and Kenley Jansen, they re going to win that game nine out of 10 times. Kershaw lowered his season ERA to The Giants gave him a little bit of trouble early, but he turned it on in the middle innings. He settled in and he was as tough as he normally is, manager Bruce Bochy said. The thing you hope is to create some chances. We had a couple. The eventual winning run came across on a strange play in the fourth. With runners on the corners, Adrian Gonzalez hit a bouncer to first. Posey looked Justin Turner back to third and then threw to Crawford at second for one out. Crawford spun and fired a strike home to try and get Turner, who had taken off. The throw skipped in the dirt and Nick Hundley couldn t handle it. Turner made it 2-1, and that was that. Bochy said he had no problem with how that play went down. All the decisions were right, it was just a tough double-play to pull off. I d like to say I should have made a better throw but I got rid of it as fast as I could and I put as much on it as I could, Crawford said. The Giants were a couple inches behind Turner on Tuesday. On Monday, they were just ahead of him, with Posey picking him off second to end the game. It s been that type of series between these two. --- I saw a lot of grumbling on Twitter about Yasmani Grandal pulling balls back into the strike zone in the late innings. Be careful what you wish for, Giants fans. Posey might be the best pitch-framer in the