SF Giants Press Clips Saturday, July 29, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Dodgers blow past Moore, Giants bullpen to win Henry Schulman

LOS ANGELES — The Giants’ season is so far gone, no game they play between now and merciful Game 162 means anything for the team. But some of these players must know they are being watched and judged by a front office that has to make some important decisions for 2018 and beyond.

Matt Moore needs to develop the consistency he has lacked all season and not commit the mistakes he made in the seventh inning of Friday night’s 6-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Some of the relievers who are failing in big spots need to prove they belong on a winning team, particularly Josh Osich and Steven Okert, who have squandered every chance to commandeer a left-handed bullpen job.

Still, while evaluation will mean more than postgame handshakes over the final 58 games, winning is still fun and still a goal, and the Giants lost one they easily could have taken against a team that has 37 wins in its past 43 games.

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Moore was pitching a nice game and just inherited a 4-2 lead in the seventh when he opened the bottom half by walking catcher on four pitches, then allowing a one-out double that finished the left-hander.

George Kontos allowed both inherited runners to score to tie the game before Osich hung a breaking pitch that sent out of the park for his second homer of the game, which capped a four- rally and broke a 4-4 tie.

Moore was still seething after the game for throwing four straight balls to Barnes the minute he got a 4-2 lead.

“You don’t deserve anything good after something like that,” Moore said. “It was piss-poor. You’ve got to make him earn his way on. The pitch to Joc, I’ve got to bear down. It can’t be in the middle of the zone where he can handle it.”

Two-strike mistakes have factored into a lot of Giants losses. Kontos committed one with two outs in the seventh and the Giants ahead 4-3. ripped a hanging slider into left for the tying double.

Wasted was one heck of a rally against 11-game winner that featured a tying single by Jae-Gyun Hwang, who was recalled from the minors Friday on his 30th birthday, and consecutive scoring doubles by and Gorkys Hernandez that produced the two-run lead.

Osich, once considered a potential closer, has not been able to stem his mistakes. Nor has Okert, who is back in Triple-A but should return when rosters expand.

Good left-handed relief is expensive in trades and free agency. Manager still hopes one of the two will stake a claim.

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“This is their time,” Bochy said. “They have some time in now. We need one of them to step up. (Left-handed relievers) play such a critical part of the bullpen. Both have the equipment to do it.”

The Dodgers have the equipment to win 110 regular-season games, and that might be selling them short.

One of their investors, Magic Johnson, guaranteed a title Friday. He might want to seek the definitions of “hubris” and “overconfidence.” While he’s at it, he should Google “2001 Mariners,” the latest regular-season superteam to go home for the winter without a World Series parade.

But the Dodgers’ talent is scary, for now and maybe for years beyond.

“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Bochy said when asked if this might be the best Dodgers team he has seen during his decades playing and managing in the National League West.

“You look at the streak of wins they’ve put up, you have to say they’re one of the best teams in recent history,” said Bochy, who is patient answering questions about the Dodgers’ greatness.

For now.

San Francisco Chronicle Giants’ Cueto wants minor-league rehab start Henry Schulman

LOS ANGELES - , saying his fingers feel fine, was to throw a bullpen session Friday, the last time he will appear on a mound before Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline.

Before heading to the bullpen, Cueto insisted he wants to go to the minors for one rehab game before the Giants activate him. Manager Bruce Bochy had suggested Cueto might return without one, but now Bochy expects Cueto to get the rehab start Monday or Tuesday.

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"I went seven days without even picking up a . Now it's more than 10 days since I pitched," Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros. "I can't all of a sudden pick up a baseball and step on a major-league mound and throw. I can't hurt myself, look bad and make the team look bad.

"It's important I go down to the minors to make sure I'm ready."

An important personal subtext might be at play. Cueto's performance this year, reflected in a 4.59 ERA, has lessened his market value should he opt out of his contract and enter free agency this winter.

A few good starts for Cueto in August would help everybody. He could restore his value in free agency and the Giants might have a better shot to trade him to a contender for a prospect.

Monday's deadline would complicate but not rule out a deal. If the Giants found a taker in August, Cueto probably would clear waivers. He has more than $80 million left in his contract over the next four years if he does not opt out. Would a club really submit a blocking claim and risk the Giants saying, "OK, he's yours?"

The Giants have said they would be interested in re-signing Cueto this winter if they trade him and he elects free agency.

Hwang vs. Ryu: The Giants recalled third baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang, who will start all three games of the series. Hwang returned on his 30th birthday and will get his wish to face countryman Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday night.

Hwang's agent, Han Lee, said this will be a huge event in Korea, where the game will be broadcast at 9 a.m. Monday.

"Even if it was 5 o'clock in the morning, people would watch," Lee said.

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Hwang said as far back as he hoped to face Ryu. They are good friends, were drafted in the same year and had a long history in the Korean major league, with Hwang going 17-for-45 against the left-hander.

Asked what advice he might give Giants teammates about facing Ryu, Hwang said through interpreter Mark Kim, "Don't look at the face."

Hwang was deeply disappointed when the Giants optioned him a week ago just as his parents were flying in from Korea to watch him play. While Hwang reported to Sacramento, his parents toured San Francisco, visited family in Los Angeles and went to Las Vegas, which might not have gone too well.

"My family is not known to be a good gambling family," Hwang said. "My dad already borrowed $1,000 from me and I’m not sure I'll get it back."

San Francisco Chronicle Giants activate Hwang; Belt scratched Henry Schulman

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Cueto, saying his fingers feel fine, was to throw a bullpen session Friday, the last time he will appear on a mound before Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline.

Before heading to the bullpen, Cueto insisted he wants to go to the minors for one rehab game before the Giants activate him. Manager Bruce Bochy had suggested Cueto might return without one, but now Bochy expects Cueto to get the rehab start Monday or Tuesday.

"I went seven days without even picking up a baseball. Now it's more than 10 days since I pitched," Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros. "I can't all of a sudden pick up a baseball and step on a major-league mound and throw. I can't hurt myself, look bad and make the team look bad.

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"It's important I go down to the minors to make sure I'm ready."

An important personal subtext might be at play. Cueto's performance this year, reflected in a 4.59 ERA, has lessened his market value should he opt out of his contract and enter free agency this winter.

A few good starts for Cueto in August would help everybody. He could restore his value in free agency and the Giants might have a better shot to trade him to a contender for a prospect.

Monday's deadline would complicate but not rule out a deal. If the Giants found a taker in August, Cueto probably would clear waivers. He has more than $80 million left in his contract over the next four years if he does not opt out. Would a club really submit a blocking claim and risk the Giants saying, "OK, he's yours?"

The Giants have said they would be interested in re-signing Cueto this winter if they trade him and he elects free agency.

Hwang vs. Ryu: The Giants recalled third baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang, who will start all three games of the series. Hwang returned on his 30th birthday and will get his wish to face countryman Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday night.

Hwang's agent, Han Lee, said this will be a huge event in Korea, where the game will be broadcast at 9 a.m. Monday.

"Even if it was 5 o'clock in the morning, people would watch," Lee said.

Hwang said as far back as spring training he hoped to face Ryu. They are good friends, were drafted in the same year and had a long history in the Korean major league, with Hwang going 17-for-45 against the left-hander.

Asked what advice he might give Giants teammates about facing Ryu, Hwang said through interpreter Mark Kim, "Don't look at the face."

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Hwang was deeply disappointed when the Giants optioned him a week ago just as his parents were flying in from Korea to watch him play. While Hwang reported to Sacramento, his parents toured San Francisco, visited family in Los Angeles and went to Las Vegas, which might not have gone too well.

"My family is not known to be a good gambling family," Hwang said. "My dad already borrowed $1,000 from me and I’m not sure I'll get it back."

San Francisco Chronicle The day a future Hall of Famer held up the Giants John Shea

They don’t do these things, but perhaps it would be fitting to depict Ivan Rodriquez holding up a baseball on his Hall of Fame plaque.

One of the most recognizable images in Marlins’ history is Rodriguez screaming in joy while clutching a ball — high in his open palm — showing the world he held onto it after getting mowed down by the Giants’ J.T. Snow.

“One of the best in my career,” Rodriguez said in a Hall of Fame conference call advancing Sunday’s induction in Cooperstown. “I made a lot of great plays, but I think that was the one that comes first.”

It was the 2003 Division Series, and the Giants won 100 regular-season games after taking the pennant a year earlier. Their playoff roster had a gaping hole, though. No speed off the bench because they chose to keep 12 instead of Eric Young.

The Giants lost two of the first three in the best-of-five series, so they needed to win Game 4 to stay alive. The Marlins broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth and took a 7-5 lead into the ninth. Snow singled home Neifi Perez and was at second base with two outs, but was forced to run for himself.

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Snow tried scoring on Jeffrey Hammonds’ single to left, and Jeff Conine threw a one-hopper to the plate, a bit up the third-base line. Those were the days when home-plate collisions were common, before the rule limiting them, and Snow’s mission was to take out Rodriguez and prevent him from making a play.

Snow tried. But Rodriguez reached for the ball, lunged back toward Snow and applied a tag using both hands. Snow drilled Rodriguez with his right shoulder, and the impact drove Rodriguez back several feet and forced him into a backward summersault.

He never lost possession of the ball.

Snow was out. The series was over. The Giants wouldn’t return to the postseason until 2010, a six-year void that was all about Barry Bonds’ chase of Hank Aaron’s record and dealing with the aftermath.

As teammates began jumping on Rodriguez, the catcher was on his back hoisting the ball high in his right hand. He wasn’t letting go. When he finally got up, he hoisted it some more.

“Jeff Conine threw a perfect throw to me, a little bit to the left, but he threw it on time so I could be able to put myself in great position and keep good balance and keep the ball in my hand,” Rodriguez said.

Was he hurt from the collision?

“To be honest with you, the collision at the plate didn’t hurt me much,” Rodriguez said. “What hurt me most was all 24 teammates on top of me celebrating.”

The Marlins went on to win the National League Championship Series, taking advantage of the gift of Steve Bartman, and whipped the Yankees in a six-game World Series.

It was suggested the Giants lost the series in Game 3, much like they lost 2002’s seven-game World Series in Game 6. They had the lead in the 11th inning of Game 3, but Rodriguez hit a two-run single to end the game. The Giants left 18 men on base and went 2-for-16 with runners

8 in scoring position, and right fielder Jose Cruz Jr. dropped a routine fly to begin the winning rally.

Once the Marlins beat the Giants, Rodriguez said, “We were never afraid of anybody.” It was his only season as a Marlin.

A’s connection: The Nationals still don’t have a true closer despite the additions of former A’s relievers Sean Doolittle and Madson and could add another arm or two before Monday’s trade deadline. Not just a reliever, but perhaps a starter. Doolittle had a shaky first save situation with the Nationals, putting two men on before retiring the Angels’ Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. “I promise they won’t all be like that,” said Doolittle, who pitched out of another jam in his next save chance.

The lefty issued walks in each of his first four appearances - after walking just two in 21 1/3 innings with Oakland -- including Wednesday when he coughed up three runs in a non-save situation.

Still, the manner in which Doolittle pitched out of trouble, including aggressively going after Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, reminded manager Dusty Baker of one of his favorite Giants.

“I had a couple of those guys, namely Rod Beck. That’s how Rod Beck was,” Baker told reporters. “This guy had guts, and that will take you a long ways.”

Madson has a 0.00 ERA through four outings, and Baker appreciates the two new relievers came recommended by A’s manager Bob Melvin: “He said you’re getting two of his best citizens and two of his best players. That’s a great compliment when you get that from your manager.”

If the Nationals can land one more late-game reliever, they’d be far better prepared for the postseason.

Gone, gone, gone: It was a rough week for umpires, who ejected Adrian Beltre, Marcus Stroman and Kris Bryant because fans come to see umpires, not players.

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When Gerry Davis ordered Texas’ Beltre to the on-deck circle mat and Beltre dragged the mat to where he always stands before an at-bat, it was a perfect opportunity for the umpire to smile and go with the flow of the moment, perhaps break the ice by walking to Beltre and explaining how it works. It was a cute moment, and Davis ruined it. Beltre followed orders, after all.

Umpire Will Little thumbed Toronto’s Marcus Stroman after a ball-four call on Oakland’s Bruce Maxwell. Stroman expresed his frustration, and Little ripped off his mask baiting the to go further, then quickly ejected him. As well as catcher Russell Martin.

The Cubs’ Kris Bryant was ejected for the first time in his career, courtesy of umpire Lance Barksdale, who called strike three on a pitch several inches inside. Bryant, who doesn’t generally challenge umpires, argued the call and turned to walk back to the dugout, and only then did he get tossed.

The best solution isn’t robot umps. It’s improving the caliber of the current crop, not just by reprimending them for being overly confrontational but for getting calls repeatedly wrong — and sitting them sit out a while if they’re not producing.

As it is for players.

San Jose Mercury News Seager homers twice, Giants bullpen implodes in loss to Dodgers Andrew Baggarly

LOS ANGELES – Some goofy stuff had to happen for the Giants and Dodgers to be separated by 30-plus games in the standings in late July.

Here might be the goofiest part: the Giants, despite being on a 100-loss pace, are winning the season series against the archrivals. They took six of the first 10 games, and they rallied against All-Star Alex Wood to take a lead in the seventh inning of a tightly contested game at Dodger Stadium Friday night.

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Watch these two teams play head to head, you begin to think, and the gap between them doesn’t seem quite so profound.

Until … well, it does. The Dodgers roared back against the Giants’ ineffective bullpen in the seventh to take a 6-4 victory. Corey Seager clocked his second home run of the game to snap a tie and the chasm between the two teams in the NL West standings opened wider to 32 ½ games.

“I thought we played well. That’s the tough part,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We put together a nice inning there (to go ahead in the seventh), and couldn’t hold them.”

“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Bochy added. “You’d have to put them up there with the best teams in recent history.”

Their 45-13 record at home is fairly compelling, sure.

So much has gone wrong for the Giants this season, it’s easy to lose track of the fact that their bullpen ERA is even higher than last year’s incendiary group that set a franchise record for blown saves.

The bullpen had a rare lead to protect because Jae-gyun Hwang returned to the Giants roster on his 30th birthday and hit a single that tied the game in the seventh . Then he raced home from first base on Nick Hundley’s double, his hand finding the plate ahead of the tag. Gorkys Hernandez followed with a double to the center field wall that gave the Giants a 4-2 lead.

Left-hander Matt Moore set aside a 5.82 ERA and delivered a start that was more in keeping with last year’s second-half brilliance. But Moore also committed the double sin of issuing a leadoff walk to Austin Barnes immediately after being handed the lead.

“You don’t deserve anything good after that,” said Moore, who appeared angrier than he has after any loss this season. “Walking the leadoff hitter after you take the lead, that’s piss poor.

“It’s those moments when the game’s on the line, those are the pitches you remember the most.”

Then Moore hung a curveball and Joc Pederson lined a one-out double so hard that second baseman Joe Panik tried to jump for it and it still rolled to the wall. Barnes stopped at third base and Bochy came to collect the baseball.

“Once he hung a breaking ball, we had a fresh ‘pen with a day off,” Bochy said. “We just couldn’t get it done.”

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Bochy ignored pinch hitter ’s reverse split (he has just a .231 slugging percentage against left-handers) and brought in right-hander George Kontos. The move didn’t entirely backfire, as Puig hit an RBI ground out.

But then Kontos fell into a familiar trap. He had Chris Taylor down 0-2 before the leadoff hitter worked it full and then lined a tying double.

Bochy summoned left-hander Josh Osich to face Seager, as if any matchup against the Dodgers’ brilliant young shortstop can be massaged to a manager’s advantage. Seager’s shot was his second of the game; he also took Moore deep in the first inning.

The Giants knew left-handed relief would be an issue the moment came back from the MRI chamber in spring training. They hoped either Osich or Steve Okert, now back in Triple- A, could rise to the occasion. They have not.

“Well, they have some time in now,” Bochy said. “We need one of them to step up. They play such a critical part in the bullpen. They have the equipment to do it. The last one for Osich was rough, but he’s got enough time in to deal with that.

“He had a base open there. He just hung that second breaking ball.”

The Giants are drawing dead in 2017, as they say at the poker table, but perhaps there is some value beyond personal pride at finding a way to capture the season series from the Dodgers.

The Giants must sell the idea that they can contend in 2018 not only to their fans but to themselves. Maybe the pitch should be this: just because Dodgers are 30-plus games ahead of them doesn’t mean they are 30-plus games better than them. The Giants don’t have to figure out a way to compete better and win more games against their archrivals. They have to figure out a way to compete better and win more games against everyone else.

It was a nice thought, anyway. Then Seager cracked his shot in the seventh, the crowd shrieked, appearances matched the reality: this rivalry isn’t even close anymore.

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San Jose Mercury News Johnny Cueto seeks a strong finish, wants to test blistered hand in minors Andrew Baggarly

LOS ANGELES – Johnny Cueto tested his blistered hand with a hearty bullpen session on Friday and said he feels much better, but the right-hander said he strongly prefers to pitch a minor league rehab game before he attempts to return t the Giants rotation.

“I can’t hurt myself,” he said. “I can’t look bad and make the team look bad.”

Well, that’s noble. It’s also a bit late to worry about team aesthetics when the Giants are 40-63 and 30 ½ games out of first place as they begin a series with the NL West-bossing Dodgers on Friday.

But Cueto is no dummy.

He has the ability to opt out of his contract and become a free agent after this season, and despite his 4.59 ERA in 19 starts, he knows it might only take a string of four or five strong outings in September to position himself to improve on the four years and $84 million he has left on his current deal. (He actually has to be confident he can do better than four years and $79 million, since he gets a $5 million buyout payment if he opts out.)

There’s no sense trying to limp through this ongoing blister issue. There’s certainly nothing at stake for the team. There’s still something at stake for him.

Cueto is expected to pitch Monday or Tuesday, either for Triple-A Sacramento or Single-A San Jose.

While Cueto is out, it’s expected that would continue to start for the Giants. Right- hander isn’t an option after he strained his groin and is on the disabled list for Sacramento. Beede might not make it back in time to be a September call-up.

San Jose Mercury News Giants scratch from lineup, but it’s not trade related Andrew Baggarly

LOS ANGELES – Giants first baseman Brandon Belt was scratched from Friday’s lineup, and no, there wasn’t a Hug Watch.

Belt has a sore right wrist that he aggravated while diving for a ball on the last homestand,

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Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Belt couldn’t swing a bat in an indoor cage. So catcher Nick Hundley replaced Belt in the lineup and moved to first base as the Giants begin their three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Belt is not currently considered a candidate to go on the disabled list, Bochy said.

Hundley actually gives the Giants a right-handed bat that could be more useful this weekend, as the Dodgers throw three left-handed starters. The Giants still have three other lefties in the lineup against Alex Wood, who has been tough on everyone this season. Whenever a player is scratched three days before the trade deadline, minds will wander. But Belt’s name hasn’t been a hot one, probably because his salary will jump from $2.8 million this year to $16 million in each of the next four seasons. And he plays a position where offense suddenly seems infinitely available. (Justin Smoak, Logan Morrison, Matt Adams or Yonder Alonso, anyone?)

If the Giants want to explore deals that might include Belt, there’s a better chance of that happening in the winter. Then again, Belt’s partial no-trade clause – he may block deals to 10 teams of his choosing on an annual list he supplies – takes effect in November.

San Jose Mercury News Update: Giants find a way to promote Jae-gyun Hwang for series at Dodger Stadium Andrew Baggarly

UPDATE: Right-hander Chris Stratton is going on the DL with what Bruce Bochy described as a right calf injury. Hwang will start all three games at Dodger Stadium and said he is very much looking forward to facing his friend, Ryu. Asked for a tip he could offer his teammates from their time facing each other in Korea, Hwang got in a good-natured dig: “Don’t look at the face.” Hwang also said he was glad that his parents will get to see him play. They had to make alternate sightseeing plans when he got sent down on Saturday, and went to Las Vegas. Hwang said his father borrowed $1000 “and I’m not sure I’m going to get it back.” ONE MORE UPDATE: Brandon Belt was scratched because of a sore wrist. More on that in another post. The lineup has been revised below.

LOS ANGELES – The Giants had to find a loophole to get Jae-gyun Hwang back on the roster Friday for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

They found a loophole.

Because the Giants had just optioned Hwang last Monday, he had to spend 10 days at Triple-A

14 unless he returned to replace an injured player.

Hwang is here at Dodger Stadium, which means the club is expected to place another player on the disabled list. Someone is about to find out that his back flared up on that long flight down the California coast.

This is a big deal for Hwang. Many family members and friends traveled from Korea to be here for the series at Dodger Stadium. It will be a highly anticipated event when he faces his good pal, lefty Hyun-jin Ryu, on Sunday.

Oh, and today is also Hwang’s 30th birthday.

The Giants needed Hwang because they face three lefties in this series, and they simply do not have any right-handed bats. Even with Hwang starting, the Giants have four lefty hitters (plus Matt Moore) in the lineup against Alex Wood.

If you missed it, here’s a story with 31 ½ reasons why the Giants are 31 ½ games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Yet they still lead the season series 6-4. Winning the head-to-head series (there’s nine games left) might help them prove to themselves that they really can turn things around next year. They don’t have to figure out how to beat the division’s best team. They just have to figure out how to beat everyone else.

(Revised) lineup:

CF Span, 2B Panik, RF Pence, 1B Posey, SS Crawford, 3B Hwang, C Hundley, LF Gorkys, P Moore.

MLB.com Giants can’t hold off Dodgers’ late rally Chris Haft and Joshua Thornton

LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager 's two homers and a four-run seventh inning propelled the Dodgers past the Giants, 6-4, on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, as they won their sixth game in a row to open up a 13-game lead in the National League West. Seager clubbed a homer off Giants lefty Matt Moore in the first, but was able to respond with a solo jack of his own in the next frame to tie it. The Giants were able to get to Dodgers lefty Alex Wood , who allowed four runs on eight hits in seven innings, tossing 99

15 pitches and getting the win thanks to Los Angeles' rally. San Francisco did most of its damage against Wood in the seventh, racking up four hits and three runs to take a 4-2 lead to the bottom of the inning. Full Game Coverage Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor were able to tie things up, with Puig notching a pinch-hit RBI groundout and Taylor ripping an RBI double to left field, both off reliever George Kontos . Seager broke the tie with his second homer of the night, taking Giants lefty Josh Osich deep to right field for a two-run homer. Seager notched his second multi-homer game of the season and sixth of his career. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Wild toss: A leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth to Austin Barnes ended up coming back to haunt the Giants, after Moore misfired and catcher Nick Hundley had trouble corralling it. Barnes hustled over to second, with Hundley trying to gun Barnes down, but to no avail as the throw was off and Barnes turned a walk into basically a triple, running over to third. Wood brought Barnes home with an RBI groundout one at-bat later. Not out of it: The Dodgers have continued to get big contributions from Taylor, who has been superb for the club in July, entering the game hitting .438. Taylor showed up again, smacking a line drive for his RBI double in the seventh as Giants left fielder Gorkys Hernandez wasn't able to make the grab. WHAT'S NEXT Giants: Ty Blach , who has excelled against the Dodgers, will start Saturday's 1:05 p.m. PT rematch at Dodger Stadium. In four career appearances against Los Angeles, including three starts, Blach is 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA and a .156 opponents' batting average. Dodgers: will take the mound for Saturday's 1:05 p.m. PT start at Dodger Stadium. The southpaw has put his blister issues behind him to go 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA in his last six starts.

MLB.com Blach looks to extend roll against Dodgers Joshua Thornton

The first-place Dodgers will look to continue to ride the arm of Rich Hill, who has been on a roll in his last six starts, against the Giants on Saturday.

Hill (7-4, 3.48 ERA) has posted a 4-1 record with 52 , a 1.93 ERA and eight walks

16 allowed in his last six outings for Los Angeles. The southpaw has put aside the blister issues that plagued him earlier in the season to regain his 2016 form. Since joining the Dodgers, Hill has allowed four runs in 21 innings against the Giants. Full Game Coverage

Lefty Ty Blach will step to the mound for the Giants, making his 17th start this year. Blach (6-6, 4.50 ERA) took the loss in his last start against the Padres on Sunday, allowing five runs on eight hits, but he notched a career-high seven strikeouts and induced a career-high 15 fly balls. Despite that rough outing, the Giants have won seven of Blach's last 12 starts. Things to know about this game

• Blach has faced the Dodgers four times (three starts) in his career, owning a 2-1 record with a 1.17 ERA.

• Opponents have a miss rate of 42 percent on Hill's fastballs over the last 30 days, which ranks first out of 161 qualified starting pitchers in baseball.

• Friday's game marked the first time there was a 30-game difference or larger between the Giants and Dodgers entering a series. The last time these teams met with a 30-game difference in the standings was Sept. 27, 1985, when the Dodgers were exactly 30 games ahead of the Giants.

MLB.com Cueto slated for Minor league rehab start Chris Haft

LOS ANGELES -- Right-hander Johnny Cueto demonstrated his serious approach to pitching Friday by insisting on making at least one Minor League injury rehabilitation start before he returns to his place in the Giants' rotation.

Cueto, who hasn't appeared in a game since July 14 due to the blisters on his throwing hand that have bothered him most of the season, will make his first and possibly only tuneup start Monday or Tuesday, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Both Triple-A Sacramento and

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Advanced San Jose are at home on those dates, so Cueto and the Giants have multiple options. Full Game Coverage

Speaking through translator Erwin Higueros, Cueto said if the Giants didn't require him to make a rehab start, he'd do it anyway, primarily to reassure himself that he has sufficiently recovered. Cueto noted the possible consequences of not making a thorough recovery are manifold.

"I can hurt myself, look bad and make the team look bad," he said. Hwang to see weekend action Employing righty-against-lefty percentages, the Giants recalled Jae-Gyun Hwang from Triple-A Sacramento in the hopes of strengthening their weekend matchups against the Dodgers. Bochy said Hwang, a right-handed batter, will start all three games of this series against the Dodgers and their trio of left-handed starters: Alex Wood , Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu . Hwang and Ryu faced each other in Korea and exchanged pleasantries Friday.

Sunday, of course, will be different. Hwang said through his interpreter that his teammates advised him, "Don't look at the face."

During his first stint with the Giants, Hwang went 4-for-12 with a home run off lefties.

To get Hwang on the roster, the Giants' corresponding move had to involve placing an injured player on the disabled list. Otherwise, Hwang, who was optioned to Sacramento on Monday, would have to wait 10 days to be recalled. So the Giants announced that right-hander Chris Stratton injured his right calf toward the end of his four-inning save against Pittsburgh on Tuesday and placed him on the 10-day DL. • First baseman Brandon Belt was scratched from the Giants' lineup Friday with a sore left wrist, the same one that initially bothered him July 16 at San Diego. Buster Posey moved from catcher to first base and Nick Hundley substituted behind the plate.

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NBCsports.com ‘Piss poor’ seventh inning haunts Giants at Dodger Stadium Alex Pavlovic

LOS ANGELES — The Giants put together a long rally in the top of the seventh inning Friday, scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Moore walked the leadoff hitter on four pitches.

“You don’t deserve anything really that good after something like that,” Moore said. “That’s piss poor.”

Nothing good came after the walk, as Moore expected. That man, Austin Barnes, would come around to score. Three more Dodgers would, too. It added up to a 6-4 win for the Dodgers. For the best team in the National League, this was a familiar feeling. For the most disappointing team in baseball, the same was true.

The Giants have played so well against the Dodgers this season, but in one inning at Chavez Ravine, they fell apart. They looked exactly like the team that has bottomed out over the last calendar year, and none of the pitchers who threw in the inning were spared.

Moore had a good night in general, and his second half is showing signs of promise. But he was left angry with the result, and much of that anger was directed at himself. An hour after it happened, Moore was still stewing over the four pitches to Barnes and the double he gave up to Joc Pederson.

“You’ve got to make him earn his way on there,” Moore said of Barnes. “I’ve got to be better than that in the seventh.”

Moore’s night ended when Yasiel Puig entered the on-deck circle. Puig hasn’t hit lefties this year, but Bruce Bochy didn’t like the look of some pitches Moore had thrown in the inning, and he was pulled after 96 pitches. George Kontos entered and got Puig, a righty-destroyer, to hit an RBI grounder to short. Then he hung a 3-2 slider to Chris Taylor that was knocked into left for a game-tying double.

“He’s been very good at times,” Bochy said of Kontos. “But the breaking ball that he’s left up, that’s the one that’s hurting him.”

Josh Osich was called upon and put a curveball on a tee. Corey Seager blasted it and that was that. The Giants sent Steven Okert down to the minors last weekend, leaving Osich as their lefty in the ‘pen. Bochy reiterated that he needs more from the young pair. Neither has taken hold of a long-term job since Will Smith went down to Tommy John surgery.

“It’s their time,” Bochy said. “We need one of them to step up.”

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Perhaps another reliever has. Kyle Crick struck out two in an impressive eighth, lowering his ERA to 1.88. It was an inning with less at stake, and that’s been the norm for Crick. He has pitched 12 times in the big leagues and 11 of the games have been losses. The lone win was a 9- 2 blowout.

The Giants have said they want to get Crick into higher-pressure spots. The inning before his on Friday night might have accelerated that plan.

NBCsports.com Instant Analysis Alex Pavlovic

OS ANGELES — The Giants have just about nothing to brag about this season, but coming into this weekend, they could at least hold onto the fact that they have played the Dodgers tougher than anyone else in the National League. Or, at least they *had.*

Matt Moore and the bullpen gave up a two-run lead in the seventh and wasted good work from the lineup in the top of the inning. The end came quickly. The Giants, who entered with a 6-4 record against the Dodgers, lost 6-4.

They are 32 1/2 games behind the Dodgers. That is not a misprint. Anyway, here are five things to know from Chavez Ravine ...

--- Bruce Bochy made an interesting decision in the seventh with two in scoring position and Matt Moore nearing 100 pitches. George Kontos entered to face Yasiel Puig, who has a .898 OPS against righties and .494 OPS against lefties. Did it work? Not really. Puig grounded out to short, but a run scored. Chris Taylor then doubled to tie the game. Josh Osich entered and gave up a two-run homer.

--- Early on, it was a shortstop show. Lefty hitters Corey Seager and Brandon Crawford traded solo shots off southpaw starters. Crawford has seen a noticeable uptick at the plate since the All-Star break.

--- Jae-Gyun Hwang celebrated his 30th birthday with an RBI single and mad dash home for a run in the three-run seventh. He saved another run with a diving play at third.

--- Gorkys Hernandez drove an RBI double into center in the seventh to give the Giants a 4-2 lead. He is batting .326 over his past 32 games.

--- Kyle Crick has pitched in only one game the Giants have won (yes, we realize they don't win often, but still). He blew through the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth. It's probably about time Crick gets a shot to protect a lead.

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NBCsports.com Giants’ top pitching prospect expected to miss rest of season Alex Pavlovic

SAN FRANCISCO -- With a postseason spot long gone, the Giants hoped to take a look at some of their top prospects in September. Another injury will likely keep that from being a reality for the organization's top minor league pitcher.

Right-hander Tyler Beede is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a groin strain while warming up for his last start, NBC Sports Bay Area has learned. Beede, a first-round pick in 2014, will be sidelined at least four weeks, but he is headed to the club's facility in Scottsdale to rehab and keep open the possibility of being ready at some point in September.

The more likely scenario is that Beede pitches in the after the season in order to get more innings under his belt. After throwing 147 1/3 innings in Double-A last year, he was at 109 innings in Triple-A at the time of his injury. Beede is viewed as a 2018 rotation option, so the Giants will need him to get more work in before this year is over.

The timing is brutal, and not just because Beede was potentially a month away from a September call-up. When he got hurt, Beede was coming off one of his best starts of his season with the River Cats. He allowed just one unearned run in seven innings on July 19, striking out five and walking one. Teammates raved about the stuff Beede showed that day, but he wasn't able to build off the start. He got hurt while warming up in the bullpen for his following start.

The 24-year-old battled inconsistency at times in Sacramento, but of his final five starts with the River Cats, three were of at least seven innings with two-or-fewer earned runs. He certainly looked headed for a September call, and at times this year, he has been mentioned by team officials as a potential starter down the stretch. Overall, Beede had a 4.79 ERA in 19 starts. His final month was his best; he posted a 3.57 ERA in July.

It's been an odd season for the Giants in terms of developing prospects. Christian Arroyo likely would have been called up after the Eduardo Nuñez trade, but he is also in Arizona, rehabbing after hand surgery. seemed to win the left field job, but a groin injury has him out for a couple of months and the Giants now want him to play winter ball to get extra at-bats. Arroyo and Slater have not officially been ruled out for the rest of the season, but it'll be hard for the Giants to get either player ready by the end of September.

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