SAN FRANCISCO — Blake Sabol had a single and a stolen base Tuesday night, but he wasn’t involved in the scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, a few minutes after a 5-0 win, a commemorative baseball was placed in the rookie’s locker.
“My first shutout, and it was against the Dodgers,” Sabol explained, smiling.
Sabol had the ball authenticated as a keepsake. He understands what it means in this rivalry to shut out the Dodgers, and most of Tuesday’s stars do, too.
The first two runs came from former Dodger Joc Pederson. The first 14 outs came from Alex Wood, who spent five seasons there. But the biggest contribution came from Scott Alexander, a Santa Rosa native who won a title with the Dodgers in 2020.
This game was won in the sixth, when Alexander entered with the bases loaded and one down and got two quick outs. A tapper back to the mound led to a force at the plate and then Alexander blew a sinker past Miguel Rojas.
“He’s got a unicorn sinker,” Wood said. “When he’s on and he’s right, it’s hard to put the barrel on it.”
Sabol is new to most of the Giants but worked out with Alexander in the offseason in Irvine. Even with that experience, he at times finds it tough to snag Alexander’s go-to pitch.
San Francisco Giants
“They know it’s coming and they still can’t hit it,” he said of the sinker. “It’s a tough pitch to catch. If it’s tough to catch, it’s going to be hard to hit.”
Alexander signed a minor league deal with the Giants last May as he pushed past a shoulder injury. He now has thrown 20 innings across two seasons for the Giants and allowed just two runs, and he extended a scoreless streak to 14 consecutive outings dating back to Sept. 12.
Alexander's contribution came after Jakob Junis entered with two outs and two on in the fifth and got Will Smith to fly out to right. In the seventh, John Brebbia got through the top of the order. Tyler Rogers, who has allowed just one hit in five appearances this year, pitched a scoreless eighth, seemingly getting a save to Camilo Doval.
The lineup added some breathing room, though. David Villar's first career homer at Oracle Park brought the ballpark back to life and Brandon Crawford immediately followed with a solo blast into the arcade.
Doval still entered, marking the first time a new entrance -- the song "Bailar" by Deorro and Elvis Crespo was accompanied by blasts from the water cannons -- was played during a night game. He struck out two to clinch the win and get the Giants even in the first of four series this year between the rivals.
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The Dodgers don't visit again until the final series of the season, and the Giants hope that one matters, too. If it does, it will be in large part because of this pitching staff, which has depth that goes far beyond the six starters and triple-digits-throwing closer.
"Great arms and guys that have done it before and pitched in high leverage and been successful," Alexander said of the bullpen. "I think we've got a really good pitching staff. We've got a great team, especially -- I think -- our pitching staff. We've got a lot of depth, obviously. We've got a lot of good arms. When your name is called, it's just a matter of going out there and doing your job and executing."