SAN FRANCISCO _ Whatever plans the San Francisco Giants may have had of escaping with another one-run win went awry in the eighth inning in a 7-2 loss Saturday evening to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park.
The Giants trailed just 3-2 going in to the eighth, beat the Dodgers 2-1 Friday night, and have a 14-5 record in one-run games.
Instead, reliever Dereck Rodriguez gave up a pair of bases-loaded walks and Corey Seager reached Mark Melancon for a two-run double to break the game open as an announced crowd of 43,784 _ many of them Dodgers fans _ made their way to the exits to beat the traffic.
The Giants fell to 26-37 on the season, with the National League West-leading Dodgers improving to 44-21.
Jeff Samardzija (3-5) took the loss for the Giants, giving up seven hits and three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings with two walks, five strikeouts and a pair wild pitches. He threw 101 pitches, 68 of which were strikes.
Left-hander Rich Hill (3-1) was the winning pitcher and was backed by scoreless relief work by Julio Urias Joe Kelly and Yimi Garcia.
The Dodgers big inning hurt all the more because the Giants spent much of the game squandering opportunities with men on base, going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position heading into the eighth inning and leaving 11 runners stranded.
Rodriguez, the rookie surprise a year ago who has already been sent to Triple-A once this season, opened the eighth inning and promptly gave up a single to right by Russell Martin and a double to right by pinch-hitter David Freese.
Joc Pederson loaded the bases by reaching on a fielder's choice, with shortstop Donovan Solano unable to the runner down at third. Rodriguez then issued walks to Max Muncy and Justin Turner to load force in two runs, and a short time later Seager doubled to the gap in left center for his fourth hit of the game and third and fourth RBIs.
The Dodgers took the lead 3-2 in the top of the sixth. Kyle Garlick hit a one-out double pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Rich Hill, and after Samardzija hit Pederson with a pitch, manager Bruce Bochy brought in the left-handed Derek Holland to face the left-handed Muncy.
Holland walked Muncy, prompting Bochy to go to right-hander Trevor Gott to face Turner. Turner hit a sacrifice fly to deep right for the lead run before Cody Bellinger flied to left to end the inning.
Samardzija and Hill took turns working out of trouble as the Giants were tied 2-2 through five innings.
The Giants scored first when Garcia hit an opposite field solo home run to lead off the third inning, after which they loaded the bases but failed to score when Evan Longoria struck out and Tyler Austin flied to right.
The Dodgers tied it in the bottom of inning when Pederson, who struck out on a ball in the dirt and then reached first base, scored on Seager's single tor right center.
In the fourth, Kevin Pillar opened with a double to center and after Brandon Crawford walked, Solano singled to bring in PIllar and put the Giants up 2-1.
Seager's second run-scoring hit, another single, brought home Turner to tie the game 2-2 in the fifth. Turner had singled, took second on a wild pitch and went to third on Bellinger's grounder back to Samardzija.
By inning's end, Samardzija was barking at home plate umpire Andy Fletcher after calls earlier in the inning on Seager's at-bat. He pumped his fist and barked at Fletcher after striking out Kike Hernandez for the third out of the inning.
The Giants wasted a prime opportunity to score on Hill in the fifth, loading the bases with no one out on a single by Brandon Belt, a single by Longoria and a walk to Austin.
Pillar however, hit a foul pop for the first out on the first pitch he saw, and then Crawford hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Giants and Dodgers conclude the series Sunday afternoon with Madison Bumgarner (3-4, 4.05) opposing Walker Buehler (6-1, 3.69).
