Maeda, Dodgers Beat Giants 3-1 With Pederson's 2-Run HR
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kenta Maeda pitched seven strong innings, Joc Pederson drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a fifth-inning homer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 Sunday night.
Maeda (2-0) allowed a run and four hits, struck out seven and walked three. The Japanese-born right-hander had pitched six scoreless innings of five-hit ball in each of his two previous starts and extended his shutout streak to 14 2/3 innings before Joe Panik ended it with a third-inning homer.
No pitcher since 1900 has thrown at least six innings of shutout ball in each of his first three big league starts.
Chris Hatcher pitched a perfect eighth inning and Kenley Jansen got three outs in the ninth to pick up his fifth save in as many appearances.
Jeff Samardzija (1-1) allowed three runs and six hits in six-plus innings, striking out three and walking three.
Dave Stewart holds the record for the most consecutive scoreless innings from the start of a career by a Dodgers pitcher since the franchise relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, throwing 18 1/3 during a stretch of 11 relief outings.
Samardzija gave up the most runs, earned runs and hits in the majors last season with the Chicago White Sox and tied for the American League lead in home runs allowed with 29. The nine-year veteran right-hander was making his third start with the Giants after signing a five-year, $90 million free agent contract in December.
Panik drove a 2-2 pitch into the lower seats in the right field corner for his second homer of the season — ending an 11-game drought by the Giants at Dodger Stadium. The last homer was by pitcher Madison Bumgarner on Sept. 23, 2014.
Pederson put the Dodgers ahead with a two-out drive into the right field pavilion after a walk to Yasmani Grandal.
In the seventh, Samardzija bunted into an inning-ending double play started by Maeda. Yasiel Puig led off the bottom half with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Grandal to make it 3-1.
Maeda, who gave up only one walk during his first two starts, had two in the Giants' first. But he escaped the jam by retiring Brandon Belt on a flyball.
BOCHY BATTING PITCHERS 8TH
Giants starting pitchers have batted eighth in the order in 10 of the first 13 games, including all three in this series. It happened only once last season, when Bumgarner batted ahead of SS Ehire Adrianza against the Dodgers.
"I don't know if there's a huge advantage. But for us, it makes sense because I wanted (Angel) Pagan to hit ninth," Bochy said. "He gives me two leadoff hitters back-to-back with Buster (Posey) hitting third. If you'd asked me last year or the last few years, I was pretty set on hitting the pitcher ninth because he's your worst hitter."
Pagan struck out all three times Sunday.
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Jake Peavy (0-1) will start the opener of a four-game series against Arizona on Monday night. The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner leads all active pitchers with 17 victories against the Diamondbacks, and is 5-1 with a 3.38 ERA in his last six starts against them.
Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood (1-1) gets the assignment in the opener of a three-game set in Atlanta on Tuesday night. This is his first start against the Braves since they traded him to Los Angeles last July 30 in a three-team, eight-player deal with the Miami Marlins.
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