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AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a two-run double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Los Angeles.
AP
16:18 JST, July 24, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani had two hits and drove in three runs, rookie Landon Knack pitched five solid innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to five games by beating the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Fitzgerald became the first Giants rookie to homer in five consecutive games with a solo shot in the second inning. Fitzgerald had three hits and drove in both runs.
Gavin Lux — named the NL Player of the Week on Monday — had a two-run double in the first inning. Lux is 7 for 16 with five RBIs since the All-Star break.
I’m trying to be more aggressive, get a good pitch to hit. Overall, as the year goes on get more at-bats, feel more comfortable and roll from there, Lux said.
Ohtani ended the night of San Francisco starter Jordan Hicks (4-7) in the fourth inning with a double off the right-field fence in front of the Giants’ bullpen to drive in Jason Heyward and Cavan Biggio, extending Los Angeles’ lead to 4-1.
Ohtani then added an RBI base hit up the middle in the eighth inning.
Fitzgerald’s homer was the only mistake by Knack (2-2), who picked up his first victory since April 23. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Dodgers’ rookie pitchers have started 45 games this season and are 17-8 with a 3.00 ERA. Los Angeles is 27-18 when they have a rookie starter on the mound.
It’s the guys you come up with this entire way, to be able to see them come up here and have some success too and be able to contribute here, it’s fun, Knack said. “It’s cool to see the young guys step up and do their thing here. It’s been a great experience.”
Fitzgerald drove a slider from Knack into the Dodgers’ left-field bullpen to get the Giants within 2-1.
The longest homer streak by a Giants rookie prior to Fitzgerald’s was four games by Jack Clark in 1977.
Fitzgerald is the first San Francisco player to homer in at least five straight since Barry Bonds had a seven-game streak in 2004.
It’s cool and all, but it would have been definitely cooler if we would have won, Fitzgerald said. “At the end of the year I’ll look back on this and smile about it, but we lost the game. Really, not a whole lot good came from it.”
The Giants had their first three runners reach base in the ninth inning, including an RBI single by Fitzgerald. San Francisco had the bases loaded with two out, but Evan Phillips got LaMonte Wade Jr. to ground out for his 15th save.
Hicks had seven strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings but also walked five. The right-hander allowed four runs and three hits.
While the Dodgers have been rolling coming out of the break, the Giants have dropped four of five.
We talked about kind of the cavalry coming, but we need to do it now, manager Bob Melvin said. “We’re going to have to to wear this one a little bit today and come out and win a game tomorrow, because the more we dig a hole for ourselves, the tougher it’s going to be for us.”
