LOS ANGELES -- The Giants put Blake Snell on their Opening Day roster in part because they hoped that his late start to the spring wouldn't keep him from facing the Los Angeles Dodgers on their first road trip. It did, but on Monday, Snell finally got to show the form that made him such a weapon whenever the San Diego Padres drove up the coast.
Snell's first start in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry put his new team in prime position for a much-needed win, but a lineup that wasted a weekend at Coors Field didn't give Snell much to work with. The Giants lost 3-2 to kick off their final series of the year against the Dodgers, falling to 1-3 on a crucial road trip ahead of the trade deadline.
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Snell gave up just a solo homer and an RBI single through six, but he left trailing 2-1. That changed quickly.
With a couple of lefties at the bottom of their lineup, the Dodgers tried to use lefty long man Ryan Yarbrough in the seventh, but Tyler Fitzgerald made them pay. Sandwiched between Mike Yastrzemski and Brett Wisely, Fitzgerald jumped on an elevated sinker and crushed his third homer of the road trip, tying the game.
The Dodgers got the run back in the eighth, and once again it was MLB All-Star Teoscar Hernandez. He drove in all three Dodgers runs, homering and twice scorching singles up the middle to bring a run home.
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Right At Home
Snell finished his first half with 12 consecutive scoreless innings after spending five weeks on the IL, and he started his second half by running that scoreless streak to 15 innings before Hernandez took him deep in the bottom of the fourth. Hernandez drove in another run in the sixth, but overall it was another very strong night for the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
Snell allowed just four hits and struck out four. In three starts since coming off the IL, he has given up just two runs and six hits over 18 innings, although by his high standards, this wasn't even close to one of his best nights at Dodger Stadium. Snell had allowed just five total runs in five previous starts at the ballpark.
FitzMagic
Fitzgerald has made four appearances since the Giants DFA'd shortstop Nick Ahmed and homered in all four of them. He's the first Giant with a homer in four straight games since Brandon Belt did it in May of 2018 and the youngest to do it since Will Clark in 1987. You have to go back to Rich Aurilia in 2021 to find the last Giants shortstop to do it.
Fitzgerald was such a spark plug in Denver that manager Bob Melvin sat Thairo Estrada for a second straight day so he could again start Fitzgerald and Brett Wisely on the infield. He might have to do it again Tuesday.
Fitzgerald never was a top prospect, but his backers in the organization have long believed that the power and speed would make an impact if the big league staff gave him an everyday shot. The power is on full display, and Fitzgerald is playing a pretty eye-opening shortstop, too.
No Sho Tonight
It was Shohei Ohtani cap giveaway night at Dodger Stadium, but Giants pitchers kept the National League's most dangerous hitter in check. Ohtani was 0-for-3 with a walk, and he wasn't on base for long. Ohtani led off the first with the free pass, but he took off for second and Patrick Bailey cut him down with a strong throw.
With Ohtani due up second in the eighth, Melvin went with lefty Erik Miller instead of setup man Tyler Rogers. Miller threw an inside changeup past Ohtani, striking him out for the fourth time in four matchups this season.
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