LOS ANGELES – Jonathan Sanchez pitched seven crisp innings and Juan Uribe hit a two-run homer for the second straight game, leading San Francisco to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night that put the Giants within one game of first place in the NL West.
The division-leading Padres lost 4-2 to Colorado earlier in the day for their 10th consecutive defeat. The Giants have picked up 5½ games on San Diego during the Padres' skid, going 5-4 during that span. It's the closest they've been to first place in the division in the last 27 days.
After hitting four home runs in a 5-4 comeback victory on Saturday night, the Giants got just enough offense to get by the slumping Dodgers, who dropped their third straight series to their rivals. Los Angeles has lost six of its last eight heading into a three-game series at San Diego beginning on Monday.
Sanchez (10-8) yielded three hits, struck out nine and walked one to win for just the second time in his last six appearances. The left-hander was 0-5 with a 6.04 ERA in 13 previous appearances against Los Angeles.
The only hits by the Dodgers were Jamey Carroll's third-inning double, and singles by Rod Barajas in the fifth and Ryan Theriot in the sixth.
Sanchez shut down the heart of the Dodgers' lineup, with Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Casey Blake and James Loney going a combined 0 for 12 with one walk and Loney getting hit by a pitch.
Brian Wilson pitched a perfect ninth for his NL-leading 40th save.
The Dodgers intentionally walked Uribe in his first two at-bats, mindful that first base was open and he had burned them Saturday night with a go-ahead homer in the ninth.
But Hiroki Kuroda (10-12) pitched to Uribe in the seventh and he sent a 1-2 pitch into the lower left-field seats, raising his arms as soon as he connected. Pablo Sandoval, who reached on a leadoff single, also scored.
The Giants led 1-0 in the second on Sandoval's sacrifice fly that scored Buster Posey, who barely beat the throw from right fielder Ethier.
Kuroda gave up six hits in eight innings while facing the Giants for the first time this season. The right-hander struck out eight and walked three.
NOTES: Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. ... The Giants have won seven of their last nine against L.A., with the teams meeting for the final time Sept. 14-16 in the Bay Area. ... The Dodgers called up 1B John Lindsay, a 33-year-old who has spent 16 years in the minors; 3B Russ Mitchell, who also is making his major league debut; INF Chin-Lung Hu; and pitchers John Ely and Jon Link. They'll join the team on Monday in San Diego. ... Dodgers C Barajas turned 35 on Sunday.
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