Giants 9, Dodgers 3: One team took their chances and the other did not … again

Chad Moriyama 05/11/2026 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

The Dodgers came into the rivalry series against the Giants limping along and hoping to get right, but instead their woes deepened as one team executed when they needed to and the other didn’t. That’s becoming a trend in a 9-3 loss.

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With a couple weeks to prove himself, Roki Sasaki‘s mission now is to pair his notable improvements with results, and things started ideally for him in the 1st. That was partially thanks to a sliding play in left by Teoscar Hernandez…

…and partially due to him hitting 100 MPH on his seventh and last pitch of the inning.

Oh?

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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 4:16 PM

Unfortunately, after he went full on Rafael Devers to start the 2nd, he left a split up just enough for Devers to get to it. He likely went around earlier in the at-bat on a check swing, and that cost Roki a homer to make it 1-0 Giants.

A single against the shift followed, but Roki then struck out the next three batters.

He found trouble in the 3rd due to a lead-off walk after an unchallenged strike on a 3-2 count, and a strikeout that followed also came with a steal. A single ended up cornering the runners, and Roki then issued a first-pitch HBP to load things up. However, he then got a shallow flyball and a groundout to escape the jam without any damage done.

Loading the bases seemed like what Roki needed, as he then retired the side in order in both the 4th and 5th innings. It looked like he had settled into a groove.

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Meanwhile, the Dodger bats had another frustrating showing against the recently called up Trevor McDonald. They started by stranding a two-out double in the 1st, then went down quietly in the 2nd, and stranded a lead-off double in the 3rd.

They did finally put together a rally in the 4th, as Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Will Smith, and Max Muncy all singled consecutively to tie the game back up. Andy Pages then grounded into a double play, because of course, but it did plate the go-ahead run to make it 2-1 Dodgers.

A walk followed to corner the runners with two down, but nothing came of it. In the 5th, they managed a one-out single and two-out walk, but they stranded that chance as well.

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Unfortunately, Roki’s string of eight in a row retired came to an abrupt end in the 6th. A single was followed by another that led to both getting an extra base after Andy Pages’ threw to third trying to get the lead runner. A Heliot Ramos double down the line in left plated both of them to make it 3-1 Giants.

That was the end of the line for what looked like a promising start: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 91 Pitches.

I can at least see the vision now with Roki, but at some point the results have to be better. This game is mostly on the offense so far, but just in general.

— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 5:54 PM

Blake Treinen took over for him and got out of the 6th with three outs in a row to strand the runner.

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To their credit, the Dodgers did come right back at McDonald, as Muncy hit his 11th homer of the year to tie things at 3-3.

An out and a single later, and McDonald’s day was done. Matt Gage entered and did his job to finish the last two outs of the 6th, and then he got the 7th in order as well.

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Unfortunately, Gage pitched that 7th with a lead, as Alex Vesia entered in the other half of the inning and didn’t have it. After starting with a strikeout, he gave up three singles in a row and then walked a run in via Devers.

That led to Dave Roberts going to Will Klein, who got a strikeout to start, but then hung a 1-2 slider for a Willy Adames single that scored two and make it 6-3 Giants before he was able to get the last out of the 7th.

Jack Dreyer then entered for the 8th and worked around a lead-off double for a scoreless inning. Wyatt Mills then got the last three outs in the 9th, but not before walking four (one intentional), giving up one single, and one stolen base that mercifully only resulted in three runs to make it 9-3 Giants.

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Finishing things off for the Giants was Keaton Winn working around a lead-off single in the 8th, then JT Brubaker got a 1-2-3 9th.

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24-17, that’s three losses in a row.

The series continues tomorrow at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the bump against Adrian Houser.

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