Dodgers' struggles in San Francisco continue

SAN FRANCISCO >> The Dodgers’ visits to AT&T Park have taken on the feel of a TV procedural where the outcome is never really in doubt. Only the method needs to be determined.

This time, the Dodgers were done in by four consecutive hits in the bottom of the fourth inning. All four turned into runs for the San Francisco Giants who piled on later before making that four-run burst stand up as the difference in an 8-4 defeat of the Dodgers Monday night.

The Dodgers have now gone 6-19 in 25 games at AT&T Park since the start of the 2015 season. The only thing as reliable as the Giants beating the Dodgers here has been Clayton Kershaw being the reason when they don’t. Kershaw, who will start the series finale Wednesday, has been the starting pitcher in four of the Dodgers’ six wins over that time.

The score was tied 1-1 Monday when Brandon Belt led off the fourth inning with a single against Dodgers right-hander Brandon McCarthy. Buster Posey followed with another, both sliced to the opposite fields.

Brandon Crawford drove in the first run with a hard ground ball down the first-base line that eluded a diving Chase Utley on its way into the right field corner where it became an RBI double.

Eduardo Nunez followed with a soft ground ball through the middle that shortstop Corey Seager smothered in shallow center field while one run scored. Crawford hesitated rounding third but scored when McCarthy cut off Seager’s throw, trying to catch Nunez between first and second. Nunez made it to second safely when second baseman Chris Taylor couldn’t scramble back to the base from center field in time.

Nunez quickly stole third base and scored on Christian Arroyo’s sacrifice fly.

The Giants added another opportunistic run in the sixth – Arroyo walked, stole third and scored on Mac Williamson’s two-out, opposite-field single – to chase McCarthy and two more off reliever Grant Dayton in the seventh, including a solo home run by Posey.

It was plenty of offensive support for Matt Cain whose career revival finds its strongest pulse when he faces the Dodgers.

Cain has started twice against the Dodgers this season (both at AT&T Park) and allowed just one run over 12 2/3 innings – Yasmani Grandal drove it in with an RBI double in the third inning Monday.

In six starts against anyone else this season, Cain has allowed 19 runs in 29 2/3 innings. Those hitters have batted .292 against him. The Dodgers are 7 for 43 (.163) against the Giants’ former ace.

The win was the fourth consecutive for the Giants who are showing their own faint pulse after a dreadful start to their season. But they struggled to close it out. The Dodgers scored three times in the ninth.

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