Kemp Hits 35th HR As Dodgers Fall To Giants
LOS ANGELES (AP)-- A couple of September call-ups are giving the San Francisco Giants an offensive boost in their last-gasp bid for a playoff berth.
Justin Christian had a three hits and drove in three runs -- all with two outs -- and Brent Pill went 3 for 5 with two RBI in an 8-5 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
"It's nice to see these guys called up and making the contribution," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They're doing what you hoped to see and that's showing they can play in the major leagues."
Christian, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno on Sept. 5, is 5 for 8 in the first two games of the series. Pill, who played with Christian in Fresno, also scored twice.
"It's awesome," he said of his success. "I feel pretty relaxed, not trying to do too much."
Pill grew up rooting for the Dodgers against the Giants. "It's fun to be part of it and help the team," he said.
The Giants can use all the help they can get at this point.
Any combination of two Arizona victories or Giants losses would eliminate the defending World Series champions from the NL West race. San Francisco trails Atlanta by 3½ games for the NL wild-card spot.
"We're in the mode right now where we got to win every game," Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong said. "The mood is try and win every night and see what happens."
Los Angeles had its four-game winning streak ended as it dropped back to .500.
Vogelsong (12-7) allowed four runs and nine hits in five innings, struck out three and walked one in extending his career-high victory total. The All-Star right-hander has gone 3-6 in his past nine starts after being 9-1 through his first 20 games.
"I just started missing a little in the fifth," he said. "They were pitches I wanted. I just didn't put them where I wanted to."
After giving up an RBI single to James Loney in the ninth, Brian Wilson earned his 36th save in 41 chances, and his first since Aug. 13 after a stint on the disabled list.
The Giants had their season-high eight-game winning streak snapped in the series opener Tuesday, but have won 11 of 15.
They scored three runs with two outs in the first on RBI singles by Pill and Mike Fontenot.
Christian's two-run double with two outs in the fourth increased their lead to 5-0.
The Dodgers got to 5-4 in the fifth on Jamey Carroll's RBI single and Matt Kemp's three-run homer.
Bolstering his bid for the NL MVP award, Kemp hit his 35th home run to tie Atlanta's Dan Uggla for second in the league. Kemp overtook Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the league lead in RBI with 116 and he surpassed Milwaukee's Ryan Braun for the runs lead with 106. He singled in the ninth for his 183rd hit.
Dana Eveland (2-2) gave up five runs and six hits in four innings, struck out one and walked three in his fourth start for the Dodgers this season. The left-hander fell to 3-1 in his career against the Giants after having blanked them for seven innings of a 3-0 victory on Sept. 10.
"I think on all three of my walks I was ahead in the count. I just struggled putting guys away," he said. "It wasn't so much the hits that I gave up in those situations. It was how I got into those situations that really bothers me. I don't like to walk people, especially from an 0-2 or 1-2 count. I was overthrowing some pitches, just trying to do too much."
San Francisco extended its lead to 6-4 with two outs in the sixth on Christian's RBI single. The Giants added two runs in the seventh on Pill's RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Mark DeRosa.
Notes
Giants RF Carlos Beltran left the game with a right foot contusion after being hit by a pitch in the third. He doubled in the first to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Bochy said he expects Beltran to play in the series finale Thursday. ... Vogelsong improved to 6-1 on the road this season. ... Kemp's home run was the 94th given up by the Giants this season, fewest in the majors. ... Dodgers SS Dee Gordon extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the first, while RF Jerry Sands' streak extended to nine games with a single in the eighth.
