Bumgarner Earns 1st Victory Of Season Over Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (CBS / AP) -- Madison Bumgarner came within an out of his first major league shutout and earned his first victory of the season, and Freddy Sanchez drove in two runs to help lead the San Francisco Giants over the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Thursday night.
Bumgarner (1-6) allowed a run and six hits, including a first-pitch RBI double with two outs in the ninth by rookie Jerry Sands. The 21-year-old left-hander struck out three and walked two in his ninth start of the season. Bumgarner has a 1.32 ERA over his last five outings.
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The only other Giants starter to lose his first six decisions of a season since Terry Mullholland's 0-6 start as a rookie in 1986 was Barry Zito, who began 2008 with an 0-8 record.
All-Star closer Brian Wilson walked pinch-hitters Jay Gibbons and James Loney to load the bases, but escaped with his 13th save in 15 attempts. Nate Schierholtz made a diving grab of Jamey Carroll's line drive in short right field for the final out.
The save came one night after Wilson blew a three-run lead in the eighth for Matt Cain and was credited with the victory, thanks to a three-run homer in the ninth by Cody Ross.
Chad Billingsley (2-4) gave up three runs and six hits in six innings and struck out four. The right-hander, who lost his previous start 1-0 against Arizona despite giving up only one hit over eight innings, has a 2.23 ERA over his last seven outings, but has only one win to show for it.
Facing the defending World Series champions for the third time this season, Billingsley fell behind 1-0 in the second inning when Buster Posey led off with a double and scored on Mike Fontenot's two-out double.
Bumgarner led off the Giants' third with a double to the wall in right-center, his second extra-base hit in 56 career at-bats to that point. Andres Torres advanced the runner with a bunt in front of the plate, and was credited with a hit after beating Billingsley's throw to first. Sanchez followed with a sacrifice fly, then drove in the Giants' third run with sixth-inning single.
Billingsley, whose only 1-2-3 inning was the first, issued four walks and plunked two during a stretch of 12 batters. The pitch that probably kept him in the game a little longer was his 96th—a called third strike he slipped past Fontenot with the bases loaded to end the fifth. By contrast, Bumgarner used only 64 pitches through the first five innings.
NOTES: The announced attendance for the two-game set between these rivals was only 64,669 -- compared to the season-opening four-game series at Dodger Stadium that attracted 192,539. ... Since winning their last pennant and world championship in 1988, the Dodgers are 48-38 against NL teams coming off a World Series title. But they are 61-94 since '88 against NL clubs that won the pennant the previous season and lost the World Series. ... Sanchez posted his first multi-RBI game since April 16. ... The Giants open their interleague schedule Friday night, as the Oakland Athletics cross the Bay Bridge. The Dodgers go to Chicago for a three-game set that will rekindle memories of their triumph over the White Sox in the 1959 Fall Classic. ... Billingsley came in 7-2 with a 2.93 ERA in his 17 previous career starts against the Giants. ... Dodgers RF Andre Ethier robbed Aubrey Huff of extra bases in the fifth with a diving catch in the alley. Huff is 4 for 24 lifetime against Billingsley.
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