Enrique Hernandez launched the second pitch of the ninth inning for a tie-breaking home run, Blake Snell made a healthy return to the mound and the playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the host San Francisco Giants for a 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon.
After watching the Giants (65-96) twice rally into ties following 1-0 and 3-1 deficits, the Dodgers (99-62) kept their hopes alive for a 100-win regular season on Hernandez’s fourth homer of the year, a no-doubt blast to left-center field against Trent Harris (0-1), San Francisco’s seventh pitcher.
Tanner Scott protected the one-run lead, stranding the potential tying run at second base in the ninth by striking out Christian Koss to lock up his 25th save. Evan Phillips (3-2), who served up the Giants’ game-tying run in the eighth, was credited with the win.
Snell, who left his last start after one inning because of tightness in his left groin, made it through 77 pitches this time, allowing one run and five hits in four innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk.
San Francisco’s lone run against the ex-Giant came in the third when Jonah Cox doubled, stole third and raced home on a sacrifice fly by Turner Hill.
Down 3-1, the hosts rallied into a tie with single runs in the seventh and eighth against the Los Angeles bullpen. Drew Cavanaugh’s one-out triple drove in Drew Gilbert, who had walked, in the seventh, before the Giants set up Hernandez’s late heroics when Hill doubled, took third on a Phillips wild pitch and scored on a Bo Davidson sacrifice fly.
Giants starter Matt Wilkinson worked the first three innings, serving up Mookie Betts’ 23rd homer of the season, a solo shot, but no other runs or hits. He walked one and struck out two.
The Dodgers went ahead 3-1 in the fourth on RBI singles by Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman.
Edman had two hits for Los Angeles, which beat the Giants for a seventh consecutive time.
Cavanaugh, who entered the game as a pinch hitter, had a double and a triple, while Davidson and Shay Whitcomb chipped in with a pair of singles apiece for San Francisco, which lost a fourth in a row.
The Giants collected four doubles and a triple in the game, but managed just a 9-9 tie in total hits with the visitors.
