Dodgers Beat Giants 5-0 As Offense Fails Against Maeda
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Corey Seager and Matt Beaty homered, Kenta Maeda threw four dominant innings in relief, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0 Sunday to reduce their magic number to clinch the NL West to two.
The Dodgers (93-52) can lock up their seventh consecutive division title Tuesday at Baltimore when they open a three-game series.
Beaty delivered a two-run home run in the fourth inning and Seager added a three-run shot in the fifth as the Dodgers increased their NL-record homer total to 255. They are 79-33 in games when they hit a home run. This year's Twins hold the major league record with 274 homers.
Maeda (9-8) replaced Julio Urías after two innings and retired his first 10 batters. The Japanese right-hander is being transitioned into a relief role for the postseason to help an inconsistent bullpen. He gave up one hit and struck out six.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy was on the bench for the last time in a game at Dodger Stadium. He finished 107-108 in the ballpark and has the most victories of any visiting manager there.
Bochy will end his managerial career with three games against the Dodgers at San Francisco from Sept. 27-29. He still needs five victories for 2,000.
After losing 1-0 to the Giants on Saturday, the Dodgers were held scoreless for 12 consecutive innings before Beaty homered into the San Francisco bullpen in the fourth. It was his ninth home run of the season.
One inning later, Seager hit a shot to center off Dereck Rodriguez (5-9), his 14th of the season. After A.J. Pollock followed with a walk, Rodriguez's day came to an end, giving up five runs, three hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts.
Urías, who is still being considered for a starting role in the playoffs, gave up two hits in the first inning and a leadoff bunt single to Mike Yastrzemski in the second, but did not allow a run. This was his second appearance since returning from a 20-game suspension under MLB's domestic violence policy.
SUSPENSION LIFTED
Justin Turner's one-game suspension for bumping umpire Rob Drake on Aug. 26 has been rescinded, but the Dodgers third baseman was still out of the lineup Sunday. Turner has been dealing with a minor ankle issue since Friday and was replaced by a pinch runner late in Saturday's game. He is expected to return to the starting lineup Tuesday.
Turner appealed the suspension, claiming Drake was the one who bumped into him. Even though the one-game ban was lifted, Turner was still required to pay an undisclosed fine.
TRAINERS' ROOM
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto will make his return from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The original plan was to have Cueto start in the just-completed series at Los Angeles, but a bout of back tightness nixed those plans.
Dodgers: RHP Joe Kelly still is dealing with leg soreness, but the reliever did pitch a scoreless inning Saturday against the Giants.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (9-8, 3.81 ERA) will take the mound Monday at home in the opener of a four-game series against the Pirates, coming off an outing at St. Louis when he matched a season high by allowing six earned runs.
Dodgers: After day off Monday, the Dodgers will open a three-game series at Baltimore with Walker Buehler (12-2, 3.28) on the mound.
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