Dodgers Rout Giants, Head to NL West Tiebreaker
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Justin Turner and the free-swinging Los Angeles Dodgers headed for a one-game showdown against Colorado to determine the NL West champion, jumping on the San Francisco Giants from the start Sunday in a 15-0 win for a weekend sweep.
The Rockies routed Washington 12-0 at Coors Field, setting up a tiebreaker at Dodger Stadium on Monday. The winner will get the division, the loser will go to the NL wild-card game Tuesday.
Walker Buehler was set to start for the Dodgers (91-71) as the defending NL champions try for a sixth straight West title.
Rich Hill (11-5) pitched two-hit ball for seven innings to keep the playoff-bound Dodgers on a roll.
Manny Machado, Matt Kemp and Max Muncy all joined the hit parade as Los Angeles left nothing to chance in Game No. 162. Kemp had a two-run double and RBI single among his three hits.
Los Angeles followed up an 18-hit performance Saturday with 16 more to finish with 43 in the three-game series.
Chris Taylor drew a walk from Andrew Suarez (7-13) to begin the game, Turner followed with an RBI double and the rout was on. Brian Dozier's two-run homer and a two-run double by Kemp highlighted a seven-run third inning.
The Dodgers clinched baseball's final playoff berth by beating the Giants 10-6 on Saturday and celebrated with champagne in the visiting clubhouse — then all attention turned to winning another division crown.
So manager Dave Roberts switched from Buehler to Hill (11-5), who delivered. He completed a 5-0 September and won for the sixth time in seven outings beginning Aug. 24. The lefty retired the first 10 batters in order before Joe Panik's single in the fourth.
Los Angeles needed a stellar showing in its final series.
The Dodgers fell out of the division lead with a 7-2 loss Wednesday at Arizona before taking all three from the injury-plagued Giants (73-89) to close out the final weekend of the regular season.
San Francisco went 5-21 in September but improved on its last-place 2017 finish of 64-98 by nine wins.
SPLISH SPLASH
Muncy's pinch-hit homer gave him 34 for the season and the drive splashed into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field arcade. That marked the 44th splash homer by a Giants opponent, fifth by a Dodger and first by an L.A. player since Cody Bellinger on Sept. 13, 2017.
PENCE'S FAREWELL?
Hunter Pence went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in what was likely his final game with the Giants after 6 1/2 years. There were pins and signs reading "GR8FUL."
Pence received big cheers from the sellout crowd as he ran to the outfield some 20 minutes before first pitch and he waved and clapped in appreciation.
Then out in AT&T Park's vast right field for perhaps the final time in a Giants uniform, he tipped his cap every direction to the rousing ovation. He did the same with his batting helmet before stepping in to lead off the bottom of the first.
A Pence highlight video showed before the bottom of the ninth.
FINAL ATTENDANCE
While the Giants drew 3 million fans for a ninth straight season and 17th time in the ballpark's 19-year history, the 3,156,185 attendance was their lowest since 3,037,443 in 2010.
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