Leake keeps Dodgers from gaining on Mets
SAN FRANCISCO -- One night after Clayton Kershaw's clinching one-hitter, Mike Leake pitched a two-hitter as the Giants blanked the Dodgers on Wednesday night, 5-0, at AT&T Park.
The loss left the Dodgers one game behind the Mets (who also lost Wednesday) for the home-field advantage in the National League Division Series. New York owns the tiebreaker over Los Angeles by virtue of winning the season series between the two teams.
Leake turned in his best outing of the season in what could be his last in a Giants uniform. He walked three and struck out one, inducing 16 ground-ball outs.
"I had it in my mind that I'd like to do to them what they did to us last night," Leake said. "It semi came true, but they won the division last night. It's nice that we came back and played a really good game."
"Their guy can pitch," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Leake, whom the Dodgers scouted at the Trade Deadline before the Giants acquired him. "He kept us off balance. Don't take anything away from him. He threw a complete game."
Matt Duffy slugged a two-run homer off Mike Bolsinger in the first inning and Nick Noonan hit a solo shot off Joel Peralta in the seventh, the first of Noonan's Major League career.
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"Bolsinger said his arm felt heavy, but he hung in there enough to punch out seven," said Mattingly. "We saw him shaking his arm, moving it around, but he said he didn't feel any pain."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Lovely Leake: The right-hander, who was acquired from Cincinnati at the Trade Deadline, saved his best start as a Giant for his last of the season. Leake completed at least eight innings on seven occasions for the Reds in 2015, but did so for the first time with the Giants on Wednesday. It was his second complete game of the season and his first career shutout.
Video: LAD@SF: Bochy lauds Leake's performance after shutout
"It was the Mike Leake show," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "What a job he did pounding the strike zone, quality strikes down, good movement on his sinker, breaking ball. He induced a lot of ground balls and pitched very efficiently." More >
Pinball ground ball: With one out and one on in the fifth inning, Joc Pederson hit a sharp grounder to the right side of second base, where shortstop Brandon Crawford was playing. Crawford mishandled the ball, but it caromed right into the right hand of second baseman Kelby Tomlinson, who threw to first in time to get Pederson.
Video: LAD@SF: Tomlinson makes a sweet barehanded recovery
Noonan's knock: The 26-year-old entered Wednesday with 118 career at-bats and no homers to show for it. But Noonan saw a hanging 1-0 curveball out of Peralta's hand and hammered it over the right-field wall for his first long ball. The ball landed inches from splashing into McCovey Cove.
Video: LAD@SF: Noonan gets all of his first big league homer
"A lot of relief to finally get that one out of the way," Noonan said.
Jansen gets in some work: It was anything but a save situation for closer Kenley Jansen, who came on in the eighth inning trailing by four runs. Before the game, Mattingly said he needed to use Jansen, who hadn't pitched in six days, to keep him sharp. In two-thirds of an inning, Jansen allowed one run on two hits.
Video: LAD@SF: Parker's knock tacks on extra run for Giants
QUOTABLE
"It's hard when you're drinking champagne all night in the clubhouse. We'll get back right tomorrow." -- Carl Crawford, on the club's flat outing the night after clinching. More >
REPLAY REVIEW
The Dodgers challenged the safe call of second-base umpire Paul Nauert on an attempted steal by Tomlinson in the bottom of the fifth inning. The call was overturned and Tomlinson was out to end the inning.
Video: LAD@SF: Dodgers win challenge to get call overturned
WHAT'S NEXT
Dodgers: Brett Anderson starts the final road game of the regular season Thursday, beginning at 12:45 p.m. PT. Mattingly said the club was considering cutting back a few innings on Anderson, who has had his first full and healthy season since 2009.
Giants: Tim Hudson makes his final career start for the Giants, who face the Dodgers for the last time this season. The veteran, too, will be limited Thursday, as he's working through a hip ailment. Hudson has pitched admirably in his final season, going 8-8 with a 4.30 ERA.
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