J.D. Martinez broke open a tight game with a three-run home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers spoiled the managerial debut of Kai Correa on Friday night with a 6-2 win over the host San Francisco Giants, who fired Gabe Kapler earlier in the day.
Will Smith and Freddie Freeman also homered for the Dodgers (99-61), who have two games left to try to win their 100th.
The loss meant that the Giants (78-82), who fired Gabe Kapler earlier in the day, will finish with a losing record for the first time in a full season since Kapler was hired as manager in 2020. Correa was hired on an interim basis.
The Giants never led, with Smith drilling his 19th home run, a two-run shot, in the top of the first and Freeman bombing his 29th, a solo blast, in the third.
San Francisco countered with two RBIs from Wilmer Flores, one on a first-inning single and another on his 23rd homer of the season, a solo shot that brought the hosts within 3-2 in the third.
The score stayed that way until the sixth, when Freeman doubled and Smith was hit by a pitch before Martinez took Keaton Winn’s 75th and final pitch over the fence in left field to make it a 6-2 game. The homer was Martinez’s 33rd.
Winn (1-3) went 5 1/3 innings, charged with all six Dodgers runs on six hits. He struck out five and did not walk anyone.
He was outpitched by Lance Lynn (13-11), who was making his last regular-season start before a projected assignment in the Dodgers’ upcoming appearance in the National League Division Series. The veteran limited the Giants to two runs and two hits in six innings, with four walks and four strikeouts.
Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly and Brusdar Graterol combined to allow no runs or hits in three innings for the Dodgers, who won three of four at home from the Giants last weekend.
Freeman had three hits and three runs, while Smith scored twice.
Flores had the only two hits for San Francisco, which was eliminated from NL wild-card contention earlier in the week.
–Field Level Media