Giants 9, Dodgers 6: Dodgers drop series to the Giants after Kazmir implosion

The Dodgers fell by a score of 9-6 today, dropping them to 4-3 on the year after a 3-1 series loss against the Giants. In those terms, it’s actually not the worst of outcomes, but I swear it feels like they just got swept twice or something after blowing leads in all three of the losses in the series.

While the bullpen struggled today (well, one guy did), Scott Kazmir still has to take most of the responsibility for the implosion. Staked to a 5-0 lead, Kazmir couldn’t even get through five frames before needing to be removed. Simply put, he was missing bats through the first two frames, but his fine command was never there, and this Giants lineup will make you pay for throwing grooved pitch after grooved pitch.

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The Dodgers and Giants got off to an eventful start in the first inning, with both team getting multiple runs across. The Dodgers actually batted around in the first, scoring five runs to take an early 5-0 lead. Chase Utley took a ball off the shin, Yasiel Puig walked, Adrian Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly, and most importantly, the Dodgers got five singles from Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Joc Pederson, Trayce Thompson, and Austin Barnes, the latter of which was of the bunt variety. Unfortunately, the Giants came right back against Kazmir to score two runs and cut the lead to 5-2. After two quick outs, the Giants managed a rally behind a walk and three singles to chip into the lead.

For as dramatic as the first frame was, the second was quiet for both sides, with the only batter reaching being A-Gon on an infield single. The Dodgers went down in order in the third as well, but the Giants tied the game with a solo shot by Buster Posey and then a two-run homer by Brandon Belt.

The Dodgers got the lead again in the fourth behind a double from Utley and a single by Seager to make it 6-5. However, Kazmir gave it right back in the bottom of the frame by allowing a homer to Angel Pagan and leaving the score locked 6-6 after four. That marked the end of Kazmir’s start, and he left after four having allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk.

The fifth inning passed quietly for both teams with Louis Coleman pitching a scoreless frame for the Dodgers, but the sixth inning proved decisive. The Dodgers went quietly in the top, but the Giants struck for three to take a 9-6 lead. Coleman remained in the game for one batter and surrendered a lead-off double before J.P. Howell relieved him and continued his run of being a dumpster fire by allowing an infield single and then a double that scored two. Yimi Garcia then came in and put out the fire, ending the inning with only a sacrifice fly worth of damage, but it was too late.

Unfortunately, that was about it for the game. Joe Blanton threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen (could’ve used that earlier), but despite threatening a bit in the final three frames, the Dodgers didn’t manage to get any runs across the plate.

Baseball can suck sometimes (all the time).