Major League Baseball
San Francisco 3, LA Dodgers 2
When: 10:15 PM ET, Friday, April 8, 2016
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
Temperature: 60°
Umpires: Home - Jeff Kellogg, 1B - Brian O'Nora, 2B - Alan Porter, 3B - John Tumpane
Attendance: 41742

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Crawford insisted he'd never seen the San Francisco Giants' dugout as fired up as it was Friday night.

And he wasn't even talking about the aftermath of his game-winning home run.

Rookie catcher Trevor Brown got the Giants fired up with a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, and Crawford led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk-off shot, giving San Francisco a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game Dodgers starting pitcher Ross Stripling left in the eighth with a no-hitter.

"What a game," gushed Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "You get two hits and win the ballgame. I don't know if I've seen two bigger homers in that kind of situation."

Crawford's game-ender came on the second pitch thrown by Joe Blanton (0-1), the Dodgers' fourth pitcher, and gave the Giants (4-1) their ninth win in 11 games over their rivals dating back to the start of last season.

It was the second walk-off homer of Crawford's career.

"I'm never really trying to hit home runs. I just try to hit the ball hard," noted Crawford, whose three career walk-off hits include two homers. "I knew I hit it well. If that one wasn't going out, then I'm not hitting an oppo (opposite-field homer) this year."

The loss was the second straight for the Dodgers (3-2), who were beaten 12-6 by the Giants also in come-from-behind fashion Thursday.

This one stung a lot more because it had a chance to be historic.

"I want to keep his future and health in mind," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Stripling, who pitched only 70 innings last season and never threw more than 78 pitches in a spring game. "It's a great story. He pitched well, but under no circumstance am I going to even consider putting his future in jeopardy."

Crawford's home run through the rain in San Francisco came after the Giants had rallied to tie the score at 2 in the bottom of the eighth immediately following Roberts' decision to pull Stripling, a rookie right-hander, with a no-hitter.

No one was shocked more than Brown, who had struck out in both his at-bats against Stripling.

"I hadn't even fouled a ball off," Brown said with a big smile. "I was surprised. I saw the pitch count (had reached 100), but he had two strikeouts against me. It was a sigh of relief for me to see a different pitcher out there."

With star Buster Posey available to pinch hit, the Giants' Bochy elected to stick with Brown, who smacked Chris Hatcher's second pitch for his first career home run, a game-tying, two-run shot over the 382-foot sign in left-center field.

Angel Pagan, who had walked against Stripling to end his night, scored ahead of Brown.

"I have confidence in Brownie. I like the way he swings the bat," Bochy said, who gave the rookie the start because Posey had caught the Giants' first four games. "Plus, when you're giving Buster a day (off), you want to give him a day (off). I can't wait on Buster to win every game."

Brown, who went 39 big-league at-bats without a homer last September, was mobbed in the dugout, then got a curtain call from the sellout crowd.

"Very memorable," he assured. "That game is something I'm never going to forget."

Stripling, who was making his major league debut, took a no-hitter and 2-0 lead into the eighth and got Crawford to fly to right field. But when he walked Pagan, Roberts pulled him after his 100th pitch, summoning Hatcher from the bullpen.

The sellout crowd at AT&T Park booed the move, but the walk was the fourth of the night for Stripling, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in April 2014.

"It was the right call," the 26-year-old insisted. "It was a tough decision for him, and I certainly had no ill feelings toward the decision one bit."

In his effort to become the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his major league debut since Cincinnati's Bumpus Jones in 1892, Stripling finished with 7 1/3 hitless innings but was charged with one run. He had four strikeouts to balance the four walks.

Stripling also was bidding to become the fourth Dodgers pitcher in their five games to allow no runs. LA opened the season with three consecutive shutout wins over San Diego.

Nothing indicated he was on the verge of such brilliance. He'd gone just 3-6 with a 3.66 ERA at Class A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa after getting a slow start to the 2015 season following the surgery, and he went to spring training this year rated as just the Dodgers' No. 16 prospect.

The Dodgers gave Stripling all the offensive support he would get in a four-hit fifth inning off Giants starter Matt Cain that produced a 2-0 lead. A.J. Ellis and Corey Seager got the RBI hits.

Cain, whose 2015 season was limited to 11 starts because of arm problems, was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth. He allowed only the two fifth-inning runs and six hits in his six innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Giants closer Santiago Casilla (1-0), who got the final out of the top of the 10th, was credited with the win.

NOTES: The night also started well for Giants SS Brandon Crawford. He received his 2015 Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards in a ceremony before the game. Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner and C Buster Posey also collected Silver Slugger awards. ... Crawford's other career walk-off home run came April 13, 2014 against Colorado. ... Giants 1B Brandon Belt reportedly signed a five-year contract extension before the game worth upward of $75 million. The team made no announcement. ... Dodgers RHP Ross Stripling became just the eighth pitcher since 1913 to pitch at least seven hitless innings and allow one earned run. The last to do so was LHP Matt Young of the Boston Red Sox against Cleveland in 1992. ... Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected two batters after the C Trevor Brown home run in the eighth inning after he rushed onto the field to get between his pitcher, RHP Chris Hatcher, and home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg. It was the first ejection of Roberts' managerial career. ... Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder surgery) threw 40 pitches in a two-inning simulated game in Arizona on Thursday and remains on track to return to the majors in mid-May.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
LA Dodgers   San Francisco
Ross Stripling Player Matt Cain
No Decision W/L No Decision
7.1 IP 6.0
4 Strikeouts 3
0 Hits 6
1.23 ERA 3.00
Hitting
LA Dodgers   San Francisco
Chase Utley Player Trevor Brown
2 Hits 1
0 RBI 2
0 HR 1
2 TB 4
.500 Avg .333
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
LA Dodgers 9 0 10 .237 12 5 2 2 1 0
San Francisco 2 2 8 .071 7 6 3 5 0 0