Hernandez and Matt Kemp each homered for the second consecutive game http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/bobby-evans-jersey , Alex Wood got his first victory since May 20 and the Dodgers beat Bumgarner and San Francisco 3-1 on Saturday night.
Hernandez’s two-run shot in the fifth inning was his fourth career homer against Bumgarner in 34 at-bats. He also has five doubles against the left-hander.
The utility player usually feasts on Bumgarner’s fastballs, but he punished the left-hander for a bevy of breaking pitches Saturday, crushing one into the left field seats for his 10th home run this season.
”He adjusted to me and I hadn’t really made many adjustments,” Hernandez said. ”Today he came at me with the same gameplan and it took me three at-bats to adjust, but I’m glad that I did.”
Bumgarner (0-2) was making just his third start since returning from the disabled list because of a broken finger that occurred during spring training. He threw 112 pitches while giving up three runs on five hits over six innings.
”Each time out I’m getting better and better, that’s all I can ask for,” Bumgarner said. ”It’s the first time I went over 100 pitches and my velocity is creeping up and my stretch and grip is coming back.”
The Dodgers have won five straight, all at home, and are 11-2 in June and 21-6 since May 17.
The Giants have lost 17 of their last 23 road games and are 3-6 on their 10-game trip to Washington, Miami and Los Angeles.
Kemp hit his 12th home run and has reached base in 15 of his last 18 games against the Giants. Both Hernandez and Kemp went deep in a 3-2 win Friday over the Giants.
The Dodgers lead the majors with 34 home runs in 13 games in June.
Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 17th save.
The Dodgers clinched their first series victory over the Giants this season and evened the season series 6-6.
WOOD STANDS TALL IN VICTORY
Wood (2-5) credited a change in mechanics for his improvement Saturday. He was coming off a three-start stretch when he gave up 13 earned runs in 12 innings, going two innings in one start and 4 2/3 in another.
On Saturday, the left-hander gave up one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. He held the Giants hitless until Mac Williamson singled to lead off the fifth.
”We found something with my posture Greg Gaines Jersey ,” Wood said. ”I saw some good strides in my (between-start) bullpen and got some repetitions out there. I felt really good with the adjustment and saw that translate over.”
Wood gave up three hits in the fifth, but the Giants’ only run in the inning came on a sacrifice fly from Alen Hanson. Wood threw 29 of his 85 pitches in the fifth inning.
”As the game went on, I got a little fatigued,” Wood said. ”I think you naturally start to revert back to some of the things you got yourself into, but I felt really good about the progress tonight.”
TRAINERS ROOM
Giants: 3B Evan Longoria elected to have surgery to insert a pin into his fractured left hand with the hopes of returning shortly after the All-Star break. … RHP Johnny Cueto, on the DL with right elbow inflammation, will throw live batting practice Monday. … RHP Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) pitched three innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Friday and manager Bruce Bochy said he believes his starter will be back soon.
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (back) will pitch a three-inning simulated start either Tuesday or Wednesday at Dodger Stadium while the Dodgers are in Chicago to face the Cubs. Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw will follow that outing with a bullpen session and likely another simulated start before going out on a minor league rehab assignment. … LHP Rich Hill (blister) followed his minor league rehab start Thursday with a bullpen session Saturday and remains on track to return to the active roster Tuesday at Chicago.
UP NEXT
RHP Chris Stratton (7-4, 4.56 ERA) will pitch for the Giants on Sunday at Dodger Stadium in the finale of a three-game series. LHP Caleb Ferguson (0-0, 9.53) will be looking to pitch past the fourth inning for the first time as he makes his third career start for the Dodgers.
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — JuJu Smith-Schuster chose his words carefully.Smith-Schuster was trying to find some middle ground between being appreciative for Antonio Brown’s influence while also acknowledging things should be considerably calmer for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. The prolific but petulant Brown now is catching passes in Oakland following a high-profile divorce that included Brown taking thinly veiled public shots at Smith-Schuster.“The chemistry is on point,” Smith-Schuster said Wednesday. “Everyone is on the same page. Everyone is communicating. There’s really no — how do you say? — drama in our locker room.”At least not the kind Brown manufactured with regularity during his final two seasons in Pittsburgh, ones that coincided with Smith-Schuster’s ascent from the youngest player in the NFL to first-time Pro Bowler. Brown’s influence played a major role in Smith-Schuster’s rapid development, lessons Smith-Schuster will hold close now that he’s the longest-tenured wide receiver in the room.“I think everyone picked it up Christian Wilkins Jersey , not only us as receivers but everybody on the team,” Smith-Schuster said. “They all see how AB worked. They seen how he came out here every day and he just ran hard, 100 percent.”It’s all the other stuff — from Brown’s occasional social media meltdowns to his hot/cold relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger — that Smith-Schuster and the Steelers want to avoid going forward. Replacing Brown’s production on the field will be almost impossible. He’s the only player in NFL history to have six straight seasons with at least 100 receptions.Yet Smith-Schuster is optimistic the group Brown left behind — one that includes second-year man James Washington, free agent signee Donte Moncrief, and third-round pick Diontae Johnson to go with Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer — can still be effective. Oh, and do it quietly.“There’s so much motivation for everyone,” Smith-Schuster said. “You think about last year, having AB and Le’Veon (Bell) and this year not having those two guys, two great players. I think for this year we’ve got guys like Moncrief, James Conner, it’s his time now. It’s always been his time. We always want to rock with what we got in the locker room, so at the end of the day http://www.miamidolphinsteamonline.com/michael-deiter-jersey , whoever is in that huddle, 11 man, that’s what we’re going to rock with.”Every band, however, needs a lead singer. With Brown gone, the gig now falls to Smith-Schuster. While stressing offensive production is a “collective” of all 11 players on the field, he’s also well aware the spotlight is on him following a season in which he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards.“He’s going to have an awesome challenge ahead of him for this year and I think he’s ready for it,” Roethlisberger said.Smith-Schuster doesn’t have much of a choice. He believes he’s prepared for the spotlight and doesn’t think his age — at 22 and heading into his third pro season, he’s still the youngest receiver on the roster, born a few months after Johnson — will be an issue.“Being a young guy in a room, being 22 Garrett Bradbury Jersey , I feel like a French bulldog, you know, just barking at everybody,” he said. “At the same time, they’ve got dogs too, so they can bark. I like that role.”It’s one Smith-Schuster is intent on filling in his own way. Where Brown became increasingly adversarial and closed off during his tenure in Pittsburgh, Smith-Schuster is a giddy livewire.For proof look no further than his rollicking Instagram account , one he doesn’t use to vent his frustrations — a Brown staple — but rather highlight his “YOLO” (You Only Live Once) philosophy. If he’s not shooting selfie videos of him dancing in his car, he’s hosting a water balloon fight , walking his dog Boujee, or looking for someone to play Fortnite with.His free-spirited touchdown celebrations made him an instant fan favorite when he broke into the league in 2018. But Smith-Schuster stressed he won’t let the rise of his own stardom get in the way of the bigger picture. He has no plans to get caught up in trying to match whatever numbers Brown puts up in Oakland this fall. Yes, gaudy statistics are nice. They’re also not the point.“I’m looking at mine Noah Fant Jersey , my own team, how we do and how we win,” he said. “I’m fine. I would take five catches for 30 yards and win the game than have 10 catches, two touchdowns. It’s not really about myself at the end of the day. It’s about the Super Bowl.”That’s a destination the Steelers believe remains within reach even with Brown on the opposite coast. Replacing him will be a group effort, one now led by a chatty, amicable and confident third-year pro who is intent on making sure his ego doesn’t get in the way.“There’s no need for me to go out of my way and yell at the guys,” he said. “We’re all adults here. We all know what’s right from wrong and everyone just works. Everyone has a voice in a room. It’s not just mine.”