Dodgers fall in 13 innings

Dan Haren pitched a one-hitter through seven innings, matching San Francisco’s Jake Peavy pitch for pitch, but in the end of a 13-inning marathon last night it was the Giants in a 5-2 decision.

San Francisco’s win kept the Dodgers’ magic number at three and closed the gap in the NL West to 3.5 games with five games left in the regular season.

Los Angeles committed three errors, the most costly a breakdown in communication in the outfield when Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp got crossed up on a fly ball in right center that bounced off Kemp’s glove for a three-base error off the bat of Gregor Blanco. Blanco scored on a sac bunt by Joe Panik to give the Giants their second run.

Blanco opened the game with a home run to right off of Haren, the only hit surrendered by Haren on a night his control was laser perfect, allowing him to record seven strikeouts despite rarely throwing a pitch more than 90 mph.

The Giants threatened to take the lead in the 11^th inning when Brandon Crawford singled to center and Brandon Belt tried to score from second. In what could be the Dodgers’ defensive play of the year, Puig gathered the ground single and fired a strike to Drew Butera that cut down Belt at the plate.

Carl Crawford homered in the fifth inning and Juan Uribe doubled to center, scoring on a Dee Gordon sac fly as the Dodgers evened the score at 2-2.

Then the Dodger bats went silent as San Francisco’s pitchers pieced together six innings of no-hit ball.

San Francisco finally broke through with three runs in the 13th off of Kevin Correia.

The Dodgers send Zack Greinke (15-8, 2.76) to the hill tonight against Giants’ ace Madison Bumgarner (18-9, 2.91) in what could be another pitcher’s duel.