Maxwell, Belt Power Giants Past Dodgers 6-2
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Justin Maxwell and Brandon Belt hit two-run homers and the San Francisco Giants trimmed the Dodgers' NL West lead to a half-game with a 6-2 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday.
Tim Hudson pitched six-hit ball into the seventh inning and got a key single for the Giants, who have won five straight over their archrivals and nine of 11 this season. Los Angeles (38-31) has been alone in first place since May 30, but San Francisco (38-32) could reclaim the top spot with a series sweep Sunday.
Joc Pederson and Justin Turner hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for the Dodgers, who have lost six of eight.
Hudson (5-6) yielded two walks and struck out three, bouncing back from a rocky first inning for just his second victory in 11 career starts at Dodger Stadium. He singled with two outs in the fifth, allowing Maxwell to deliver the tiebreaking homer.
Maxwell and Belt connected against Carlos Frias (4-5), the latest member of the makeshift portion of Los Angeles' starting rotation to struggle against the defending World Series champions.
Frias gave up six runs and five hits, pitching into the sixth inning of his fifth loss in seven starts.
Maxwell entered the Giants' lineup in the first inning after Nori Aoki got hit in the lower leg by Frias' second pitch of the game. Aoki ran the bases and scored San Francisco's first run on Angel Pagan's sacrifice fly, but he didn't come out when the Giants took the field, sitting with a bruised leg.
The Giants went up 2-0 in the first, but Pederson put a shot deep into the visiting bullpen for his 18th homer and his first since June 3, when he homered in his fifth straight game. When Turner connected for the second straight day, the hitting-poor Dodgers had their first back-to-back homers since April 19.
Frias retired nine consecutive Giants until Hudson singled and Maxwell put a two-strike homer into the bleachers in left, snapping his 2-for-19 skid.
Belt then dropped a long fly barely over the wall in right in the sixth for his ninth homer. Right fielder Yasiel Puig could have had a shot to steal it, but lost it in the sun.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: Gregor Blanco moved from right field to left when Aoki got hurt. Blanco played his second game back from a DL stint with a concussion.
Dodgers: RHP Joel Peralta (right shoulder) is returning to Los Angeles after a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Tim Lincecum (7-3, 3.31 ERA) has made it through the sixth inning just once in his last six starts at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers: LHP Brett Anderson (2-4, 3.43 ERA) has just one win in seven starts at Chavez Ravine despite a 3.32 ERA.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.