Vogelsong Sharp In Giants Victory Over Dodgers
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Ryan Vogelsong pitched into the seventh inning and combined with two relievers on a seven-hitter, leading the San Francisco Giants to a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
Pablo Sandoval had three hits, including his ninth homer, for NL West-leading San Francisco, which has won eight of 10. Nate Schierholtz added two hits and an RBI, continuing his torrid pace set after manager Bruce Bochy moved him into the cleanup spot last week.
Cody Ross' two-run double in San Francisco's four-run sixth helped the Giants break it open.
Juan Uribe had two singles against his former club but the Dodgers hit into two double plays and were shut out for the 10th time this season while losing their fifth straight against their division rivals.
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Vogelsong (7-1), coming off his first All-Star appearance, scattered seven hits over 6 2-3 innings, finishing with five strikeouts and a walk while lowering his ERA to 2.02.
The journeyman right-hander already had the lowest ERA in the NL but hadn't logged enough innings to qualify. Four days shy of his 34th birthday, he finally had the top spot, just ahead of Atlanta's Jair Jurjjens.
The Giants gave him plenty of support.
Schierholtz had an RBI single in the big sixth inning and is batting .417 (10 for 24) in five games while batting cleanup. San Francisco is 5-0 in those games.
Vogelsong retired the first eight batters he faced and didn't allow a hit until Matt Kemp's one-out single in the fourth. Juan Rivera followed with a soft dribbler to the right side on a hit-and-run, moving Kemp to third, but Vogelsong got out of it with some nifty defense of his own.
James Loney hit a grounder back up the middle which Vogelsong bobbled momentarily before recovering and throwing to shortstop Brandon Crawford, whose relay to first just beat Loney to complete the double play.
The Dodgers had two runners on with no outs in the sixth but Kemp grounded into a double play and Vogelsong got Rivera to pop out to shortstop to end the threat.
Jeremy Affeldt and Ramon Ramirez finished up after Vogelsong departed.
Sandoval connected on Chad Billingsley's first pitch in the bottom of the fourth. The third baseman also singled and scored in the sixth.
Billingsley (8-8) yielded five runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings. He had allowed only four runs in his previous four starts but his ERA jumped to 4.07 after his shaky outing against San Francisco.
Crawford was in the game after the Giants lost Miguel Tejada to a lower abdominal strain in the third inning. The veteran infielder bobbled Rafael Furcal's sharp grounder for an error, then slid to the turf.
A team trainer and manager Bruce Bochy came out to check on Tejada, and the three walked off the field together.
Earlier in the day the Giants were invited to visit President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday in honor of the team's World Series win last year.
The White House said Obama also will recognize the Giants' efforts to give back to the community.
"It's going to be very special," Bochy said. "I'm certainly looking forward to it. The guys can spend some time there and get a chance to meet the president, which is always an honor. It's going to be a thrill for everybody."
NOTES: Billingley didn't walk a batter for the first time this season. ... San Francisco backup C Chris Stewart left in the sixth after getting hit in the back of the head by Aaron Miles' bat. Eli Whiteside replaced him. ... Giants LHP Jonathan Sanchez allowed six runs in 2 2-3 innings of his first rehab start but Bochy remains encouraged. Sanchez will pitch again Friday for Triple-A Fresno. ... Dodgers INF Casey Blake (cervical strain) is eligible to come off the disabled list but is still receiving cortisone injections and will remain out indefinitely. ... Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan and actor Benjamin Bratt were among those in attendance.
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