Dodgers' work for tie is undone by Jansen
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (left) celebrates with center fielder Angel Pagan after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 in a baseball game in 10 innings on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
, ALEX GALLARDO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES - So dominant for so much of 2013, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has faltered more often than expected in 2014.
The latest instance occurred Sunday, when the hard-throwing right-hander entered in the 10th inning of a tie game after a Dodgers comeback and allowed the first four San Francisco Giants hitters he faced to reach base, leading to a 7-4 loss in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.
'I take it on me,' Jansen (0-2) said afterward. 'Three runs scored in the 10th, that cannot happen. It's frustrating for the whole team.'
Jansen's struggles erased ace Clayton Kershaw's successes in his first Dodger Stadium start in seven months. The left-hander struck out nine Giants in seven innings and walked none but was hurt by a two-run home run from San Francisco's Brandon Hicks in his final inning.
Hicks' homer came on a curveball from Kershaw, the first such long ball in three years.
'He was rolling right along, honestly,' Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. 'And then he just left that breaking ball up.'
Veteran right-hander Tim Hudson, Kershaw's counterpart, permitted just two runs, both in the sixth inning. The first came via Yasiel Puig, who hammered the first pitch of the inning into the left-field seats for a solo homer. Then Hanley Ramirez doubled and Adrian Gonzalez singled him in.
In the ninth inning, Dee Gordon doubled with one out, bringing Puig to the plate as the potential tying run. Giants closer Sergio Romo struck out Puig swinging on six consecutive sliders, but Ramirez timed Romo's ninth straight slider perfectly and roped it into the bleachers, tying the score, 4-4.
The Dodgers (20-19) have lost seven of their past 10 games, seven of 10 extra-inning games this season and seven of 10 games against the Giants. But Mattingly and his players insisted the comeback was a positive sign.
'Today, I really felt like we played a good team game,' Kershaw said. 'I can't say it's a turning point, because we lost, but I really felt like we played a good baseball game today.'
Contact the writer: pmoura@ocregister.com
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