LOS ANGELES — Wednesday night’s game between the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants featured two pitchers trying to restart their seasons after time away from their respective clubs. One was coming off a 60-day stay on the injured list; the other returning after a modest 15-day absence.
Both overcame rough spots in their much-anticipated starts, but only one came away with a victory.
Left-hander Robbie Ray, who was making his season debut, threw five no-hit innings in his first start after having Tommy John surgery as the Giants limited the Dodgers to five hits in an 8-3 victory at Dodger Stadium.
The victory ended the Dodgers’ five-game winning streak since the All-Star break.
Meanwhile, Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who had not thrown since July 9 because of back tightness, was attempting to recapture the command that earned him 12 quality starts this season. But Glasnow (8-6) pitched five innings, allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits, including a home run in the fourth. He walked four and struck out four.
After Ray (1-0) departed, the Giants continued to shut down the Dodgers over the next 1⅔ innings. Dodgers second baseman Chris Taylor broke up the no-hitter with an RBI double to center field with two outs in the seventh, but he had to exit the game after suffering an apparent injury while trying to beat the throw to second base.
The Dodgers got on the scoreboard in the first inning without a hit.
Shohei Otani took Ray’s first pitch deep to the left field corner before it was caught. Ray followed that by hitting Will Smith, walking Freddie Freeman, hitting Teoscar Hernandez and walking Andy Pages, which scored Smith for a 1-0 lead.
Ray eventually got out of the inning by striking out Miguel Vargas and getting Taylor on a fly out. Ray settled down and retired the next 11 batters to notch his first victory in a Giants uniform.
Glasnow was activated shortly before the game. The 30-year-old right-hander reached 58 pitches while throwing three simulated innings Friday, but he wasn’t sharp Wednesday. He gave up four hits, struck out four and walked four in five innings of work, throwing 52 strikes among his 91 pitches.
The Giants tied the score in the fourth on Matt Chapman’s 14th homer of the season and went ahead, 2-1, on Mike Yastrzemski’s RBI single to center.
The Giants pull away with six runs in the eighth. Yastrzemski drove in another run to make it 3-1, then Patrick Bailey’s sharp grounder to right with the bases loaded scored Michael Conforto for a 4-1 advantage.
The Giants scored four more runs off reliver Joe Kelly to extend the lead to 8-1.
The Dodgers got one back in the eighth and another in the ninth.
Freddie Freeman got things moving in the eighth when his hard-hit ball to center dropped between Giants outfielders, allowing newcomer Nick Ahmed to score from first. Ahmed joined the Dodgers on Wednesday after being released by the Giants two weeks ago.
More to come on this story.
