SAN FRANCISCO—Will Smith hit a two-run double in the 10th inning to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6–4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night for their fourth straight victory this season over their rivals.
“These are always intense games,” Smith said. “The fans are into it. They’re trying to beat us. We’re trying to beat them. So, it comes down to who can execute. Tonight we were able to get them.”
Mookie Betts hit his 50th career leadoff home run and Kiké Hernández added a pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning to pull Los Angeles into a 4–4 tie.
The Dodgers then won it in the 10th when Smith hit a drive to center field off Taylor Rogers (1–2) to give Los Angeles the lead.
“We had a couple of other opportunities offensively, but it came down to that last inning and it was one big swing,” Giants Manager Bob Melvin said.
Blake Treinen (1–0) picked pinch-runner Tyler Fitzgerald off first base as part of a scoreless ninth to get the win. J.P. Feyereisen got three outs for his first save.
The Dodgers extended a franchise record by allowing four runs or fewer in their 20th consecutive game, 16 of which have been victories.
“We are playing the way we’re capable of playing,” Hernández said. “The key has been the starting pitching. The starting pitching has been outstanding. When we don’t take the lead early, they keep us in games. Our lineup is really good. Whenever they keep us in the game and whenever we’re not rolling early, we are always going to have a chance.”
Luis Matos, making his first start of the season in place of injured center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, provided the bulk of the offense for the Giants when he hit a first-pitch curveball into the left-field seats off Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a three-run homer that made it 3–1 in the second inning.
Yamamoto then retired the next 12 batters before running into trouble in the sixth with back-to-back walks with one out. He retired the next batter before giving up an RBI single to Heliot Ramos that put the Giants up 4–3 and ended Yamamoto’s night.
San Francisco starter Jordan Hicks allowed Betts’ leadoff homer and then only one other run in five innings, but got a no-decision when the bullpen couldn’t hold a 3–2 lead.
