• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Ross' homer lifts Giants over Dodgers

May 19, 2011 - 6:21 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Cody Ross belted a three-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting the Giants to an 8-5 win over the Dodgers in the opener of a two-game series.

Closer Brian Wilson (4-1) worked around a single in the bottom of the ninth inning and got the win despite blowing a save in Los Angeles' three-run eighth.

Ross hooked a 1-1 curveball inside the left field pole against Lance Cormier (0-1) for the go-ahead homer, his third of the season, and the Giants snapped a two-game losing streak.

"We definitely needed this one," said Ross. "He threw me three straight curveballs. You know when you hit it good."

Matt Kemp hit a solo homer for the Dodgers, who have lost four of their last five.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw pitched five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. Matt Cain worked 7 1/3 innings for the Giants, yielding three runs on three hits.

It was a scoreless game until Freddy Sanchez hit an RBI single in the third for San Francisco.

The Giants pushed their lead to 4-0 in the fourth, sparked by four straight singles from Pat Burrell, Ross, Aubrey Huff and Miguel Tejada. Giants third baseman Mark DeRosa was hurt swinging the bat -- the team said it was a strained left wrist -- and pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot walked to score the second run. Aaron Rowand added a sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers didn't get on the board until Kemp led off the fifth inning with his ninth homer of the season. Kershaw was taken out for a pinch-hitter later in the inning with the bases loaded, but LA didn't score again until the seventh when Rod Barajas hit an RBI double to get them within 4-2.

Tejada's RBI single in the eighth pushed San Francisco's lead to 5-2, but Wilson couldn't hold the Dodgers after he was the third Giants hurler to pitch in the eighth.

Juan Uribe greeted him with a line-drive double that scored two runs and James Loney followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 5-5.

"I like the way our guys kept going, but we fell a little bit short," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

Game Notes

The Dodgers are just 2-4 on a seven-game homestand...Even if he didn't get a decision, the Giants are 7-2 with Cain on the hill this season.