Dodgers Catcher Austin Barnes Somehow Hits Foul Ball Twice vs. Giants

The Dodgers busted the game open in the eighth, using five consecutive hits, including a two-run, pinch-hit triple from Andre Ethier, to tack on four runs against the Giants bullpen and stretch their lead to 8-0.

“I was getting the first guy out every inning”, he noted. The Giants managed to win that game in the 12th inning, anyway. He said Kershaw likely will have a short start against San Diego on Sunday.

“It was the Mike Leake Show”, Bochy said, smiling.

Byrd, never breaking stride as he exited the postgame clubhouse, confirmed he talked with club officials but declined to opine on whether he had grounds for a grievance.

“This is an emotional time of year, a competitive time”, said Bumgarner, “and I was a little more emotional than I’d like to be”.

Like we’re supposed to stand and applaud Steve Finley or something…

Byd is hitting a rather bland. Then the home run (by Hernandez). But he’s also hitting.

Lucas Duda hit two homers for the NL East champion Mets, who hadn’t lost away from home since September 6, at Miami.

— If you want to know how Matt Duffy turned into this version of Matt Duffy, go back and watch the eighth inning. The second hit, a single by Giants RF Jarrett Parker, drove in the final run of the game. “I did something good with the seven strikeouts, but you can’t get by with one pitch”. They’re still in a better spot than we are. “For both of us”. Bochy said Noonan, who started at first base Wednesday night, will be in the lineup at shortstop Thursday with Brandon Crawford getting a day off. He’s gone just 1-4 against the Giants with a 4.97 ERA in eight career starts.

[PAVLOVIC: Instant Replay: Leake goes distance, Giants top Dodgers]. He walked three and struck out one.

“It’s evident we prefer Mike a lot”, he was quoted saying. We traded for him.

Like we’re supposed to call him Mister Lasorda or a few shit…

“Mike Leake, comin’ into free agency!”

Does that mean Peavy will be Leake’s agent?

Leake said he’d want to work out easily exactly where he’ll be promoting in 2016.

He failed for a third consecutive time to record a 19th win, allowing three earned runs on five hits. With 76 RBIs, he also matched Chili Davis for fourth place on the Giants’ RBI list for rookies in a single season.

No pitcher has struck out 300 batters in a single season since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002. Wednesday night, he collected three more hits to push his average back to.300.

And with the Giants thin at third base, Duffy probably will keep on going.

Left-hander Brett Anderson (9-9, 3.75 ERA) will face right-hander Tim Hudson (8-8, 4.30) and the Giants at 12:45 p.m.at AT&T Park. Counting his record-setting 522/3 innings in the postseason, he threw 270 innings previous year. Not only was it his first, but it was a big home run-it was close to a Barry Bonds-like home run-just inches from going into McCovey Cove.

The Dodgers and Mets will square off in next week’s division series with home-field advantage yet to be determined with four games remaining.

“You’ve got to take that and remember that in the offseason”, said Bumgarner, after the Dodgers formed a blue blob near his mound. There was Tuesday night’s clinching, too.

“I haven’t thought on it”, Byrd said.

Sounds like he’s a long-term Giant already.

“He’s brought what we were hoping for”, Bochy said.

Barnes ended up walking (the seventh pitch was ball four), and I bet he spent the journey to first thinking about that baseball.

The concussion remains more of a concern than the knee, if only because Belt has sustained at least three of them in six years.

“I don’t buy into any of that stuff”. The reigning N.L. Cy Young victor and MVP had all the raw material he needed in the first inning, when second baseman Kelby Tomlinson’s error led to an unearned run.

Kershaw was slated against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner in a game that was expected to be a dominant pitching matchup, but while Bumgarner was not sharp, Kershaw might have pitched his best game of the season.