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Loney plates three as Dodgers top rival Giants

Jul 7, 2008 - 1:14 AM By Ryan McCrary PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- James Loney drove in three runs and the stingy bullpen did the rest as the Los Angeles Dodgers seized a 5-3 win and took the series victory against the San Francisco Giants Sunday afternoon.

Los Angeles completes its road swing with a 5-2 record and prevented the Giants from posting their first winning homestand of the season. San Francisco has lost 18 of its last 24 contests at AT&T Park and has not won a home series since May 9-11 against Philadelphia.

Loney gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead on an RBI double, but the Giants countered in the bottom of the first with an RBI groundout by Bengie Molina.

"(Loney's) one of those hitters you keep shaking your head," Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said. "He has an at-bat (where) he looks overmatched - and then all of a sudden fires a double down the line. He keeps putting numbers up there and he's hard to defend because he goes line to line."

Loney, who hit both doubles with a two-strike count, wasn't even sure of pitch location on the ball he hit for doubles.

"I had two strikes on me, so I just tried to put it in play," Loney said. "Usually when you get two strikes, for some reason I've been focusing more and on the ball. I need to do that all the time. I was just trying to get something I could get out there. I don't know. I just reacted. I don't even know where it was. It was in, I think."

Los Angeles sent eight batters to the plate in the third, but scored just twice on an RBI single from Matt Kemp and a sacrifice fly from Andre Ethier. Leading 3-1, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs, but San Francisco starter Matt Cain (5-7) recovered to strike out Delwyn Young to end the uprising.

"We're playing the way we know we can play," Kemp said. "We're getting runners on base. Andre and Loney are doing a great job driving in a lot of runs and we're just playing good as a team. Even when we get down, our mood never changes because we know we can come back to win the game. Hopefully we can keep that up to the All-Star break, and the next half too."

Rich Aurilia collected his 1,500th career hit in memorable fashion, homering to left with one out in the fourth to cut the Giants' deficit to 3-2.

"Numbers are great, it's kind of like a milestone, at the same time this is probably something you enjoy more after you retire," Aurilia said. "I'd be happier if I hit one to win the game today."

Cain walked Kemp to start the fifth and gave up a single to Ethier, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Loney then drove in two more with a two-run double down the left field line, staking the Dodgers to a 5-2 edge.

"That's always frustrating when little things go wrong," Cain said. "It's always tough. They got some hits in the infield - it's little things. It's disappointing for me, for us. I feel like I let us down."

San Francisco mounted a rally in the fifth and had runners at the corners with no outs after a double by Ray Durham and a single from Randy Winn, prompting a pitching change. Brian Falkenborg (1-1) shut the door, getting a shallow flyout from Molina, a weak pop-up from Aaron Rowand and then struck out Jose Castillo to end the threat.

The scoreless frame gave Falkenborg his first win since the 2004 season.

"Wins are like the Olympics for me, I guess," Falkenborg said. "There's not very many to remember, so it's easy to remember that one."

Eric Stults tossed four innings for the Dodgers, allowing two runs and seven hits with four strikeouts.

Cain lasted six innings, giving up five runs and eight this with five strikeouts and three walks.

"He pitched better than what he showed, but he was up a little more today," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "When that inning (third) started, he hung a breaking ball, but he just wasn't quite as sharp. He just made a few more mistakes this game than the last one."

Los Angeles' bullpen bounced back from a ragged performance Saturday, tossing four scoreless innings before the Giants tacked on one in the ninth against closer Takashi Saito.

San Francisco had runners at the corners with none out, courtesy of singles by Emmanuel Burriss and pinch hitter John Bowker. Saito struck out Lewis for the third time before allowing a sacrifice fly from Durham. Winn grounded out to end the rally as Saito secured his 16th save.