Robbie Ray made his debut for San Francisco by pitching five innings without allowing a hit. The Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Wednesday night, with Matt Chapman hitting a home run.
The Dodgers didn’t get a hit until Chris Taylor doubled with two outs in the seventh inning against Tyler Rogers, who was relieving Ray.
Ray (1-0) hadn’t played since having Tommy John surgery in May 2023. He had a strong performance after a shaky first inning, giving up only one earned run on a bases-loaded walk. Ray struck out eight batters and threw 86 pitches.
“I was excited to get out there,” Ray said. “Everything felt good. I was a bit quick in the first inning, but I knew my pitches would work. Once I settled down after the first inning, I felt more comfortable.”
The Giants ended the Dodgers’ five-game winning streak and have a chance to split the series Thursday.
In the eighth inning, the Giants took advantage of the Dodgers’ tired bullpen. They scored six runs on five hits, with reliever Yohan Ramirez giving up five earned runs.
“We haven’t had many innings like that,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “It was good to put up a big number. We were confident in our pitchers for the last four innings. Scoring like that means we didn’t have to be perfect every at-bat.”
Chapman hit a solo home run against Tyler Glasnow in the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1. He went 2 for 3 with two runs, two RBIs, and two walks.
Chapman now has 14 home runs this season. Mike Yastrzemski also contributed with an RBI single in the fourth inning to make it 2-1.
Ray struggled with control in the first inning, walking two batters and hitting two more, but he gave up only one run.
He walked Andy Pages with the bases loaded, allowing a run, but he managed to get out of more potential trouble. Ray then retired 14 consecutive batters.
Ryan Walker continued the streak by retiring the side in the sixth inning, making it 17 consecutive batters. Rogers retired the first two batters he faced before Taylor’s double ended the streak at 19 consecutive batters.
