Madison Bumgarner struck out eight on the way to his 18th victory, and the Giants moved within one game of NL West-leading Los Angeles by beating the Dodgers 9-0 on Friday.
‘’It’s not hard to get up for the Dodgers series, especially the circumstances we’re in,’’ Bumgarner said. ‘’The offense did an unbelievable job and kept scoring runs.’’
Pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa splashed a three-run homer into McCovey Cove, and Brandon Crawford hit a two-run drive in the fifth to help Bumgarner win his fifth straight start. Buster Posey and Crawford hit RBI doubles in the first as the Giants jumped on Hyun-Jin Ryu (14-7).
The Dodgers’ left-hander exited after only one inning because of irritation in his pitching shoulder. He said it’s similar to the problem he dealt with in May that landed him on the disabled list, raising doubt whether he will pitch again this season.
Elsewhere, second baseman Jemile Weeks doubled twice and scored two runs as the Boston Red Sox beat Kansas City 4-2, knocking the Royals out of first place in the American League Central.
The Royals’ defeat, coupled with the Detroit triumph over Cleveland, dropped the Royals (80-66) a half-game behind the Tigers, the defending division champions.
The Royals have lost five of their last seven games, scoring 12 runs in the losses.
Adam Wainwright retired his last 16 batters and notched his 18th win as the Cardinals maintained their National League Central lead with a decision over Colorado.
Wainwright (18-9) allowed six hits and a run in eight innings, walking none and fanning eight.
The triumph enabled him to draw level with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner and Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto for the major league lead in wins.
St Louis (81-67) kept a 2 ½-game advantage in the NL Central on second-place Pittsburgh, a 7-3 winner over the Chicago Cubs, and snapped a three-game losing streak.