Dodgers' first-inning power downs Giants
LOS ANGELES -- With a rearranged batting order, the Dodgers blasted four home runs in the first three innings Wednesday night and coasted to a 7-3 win in the rubber game of their three-game series against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.
Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier and Jimmy Rollins homered off Ryan Vogelsong (1-2) in support of Zack Greinke (4-0), who battled through six innings to continue his mastery over the Giants in particular and the National League West in general. Greinke is 6-0 lifetime against the Giants and 22-1 against division rivals since he joined the Dodgers. He is 20-6 and the club is 24-8 when he starts following Dodgers losses. Greinke also had an RBI with a sacrifice fly.
"Zack gutted it out," said manager Don Mattingly. "He didn't have his best stuff, but he hung in there and kept battling."
Video: SF@LAD: Greinke fans six over six strong innings
The Giants scored in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Brandon Belt and in the fourth on a two-run homer by Brandon Crawford.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bombs away: The Dodgers came into the game leading the league with 28 home runs and added three in the first inning off Vogelsong by Pederson, Gonzalez and Ethier. The latter moved into 10th on the all-time Los Angeles list with No. 148. Gonzalez had homered off Vogelsong last week in San Francisco.
Video: SF@LAD: Adrian goes deep to put Dodgers ahead
"They weren't terrible pitches," Vogelsong said. "Just not as good as they needed to be." More >
Applying pressure: The Giants didn't give up easily, moving runners into scoring position in each of the first four innings. This was only the second time in eight starts against the Giants that Greinke allowed more than two runs and just the third time he yielded as many as seven hits. More >
Video: SF@LAD: Crawford's two-run shot gets Giants closer
Two-way star: After providing the Dodgers two runs with his first-inning home run for a 4-1 lead, Ethier robbed the Giants of two runs with a spectacular diving catch in the right-center gap on Joe Panik's line drive with two outs in the second inning and two runners on base.
"I hit it well, but I didn't get any elevation on it," Panik said.
Video: SF@LAD: Ethier robs Panik with terrific diving catch
QUOTABLE
"Last year they made Joc go on coffee runs [in uniform to Starbucks across from Wrigley Field]. He didn't complain, took it good naturedly. That's important." -- Mattingly on Pederson
Video: SF@LAD: Pederson shines at the plate, in the field
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
All four Dodgers who hit home runs are left-handed hitters who did not start Tuesday night when the Dodgers scored one run off lefty Madison Bumgarner.
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: The defending World Series champions have plenty of room for offensive improvement -- particularly at home, where they'll begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at 7:15 p.m. PT. San Francisco has averaged 2.6 runs per game at AT&T Park while hitting .238.
Dodgers: Carlos Frias gets a chance at 7:10 p.m. PT Friday to take Brandon McCarthy's rotation slot. Last year, Frias had a start at home against Washington of six scoreless innings, but another at Coors Field allowing eight runs in the first inning.
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