SAN FRANCISCO – Adrian Gonzalez has been around all of two weeks, and he is certain the Los Angeles Dodgers are a playoff team. Whether NL West champions or wild card, he’s not sure.
Hanley Ramirez helped the cause by hitting a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth inning and the undermanned Dodgers trimmed a game off their division deficit with a 3-2 win over the first-place San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
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It will take plenty more timely hits down the stretch for the Dodgers to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. They’ve been hard to come by, too.
“We’re getting there,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t know about winning the division. We’re getting there somehow.”
The Dodgers are 4½ games behind San Francisco in the NL West, but just a half-game behind St. Louis for the last wild-card spot.
Gonzalez led off the ninth with a triple against Jeremy Affeldt (1-2), then Ramirez came through with a double to the gap in right-center — the Dodgers’ first hit in 15 tries so far this series with runners in scoring position.
Pinch-runner Alex Castellanos scored the tying run on Matt Cain’s wild pitch in the top of the eighth.
BRAVES 11, METS 3: Kris Medlen extended Atlanta’s scoreless streak to 31 innings for its best string in more than 20 years before he gave up two runs, and slumping Brian McCann drove in four runs with four hits at New York.
BREWERS 6, CARDINALS 3: Aramis Ramirez had three hits, including his 22nd home run, to lead Milwaukee to a win at St. Louis.
DIAMONDBACKS 8, PADRES 5: Jason Kubel hit two of Arizona’s four home runs, helping the visiting Diamondbacks snap a seven-game losing streak against San Diego.
NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 6: Pinch-hitter Corey Brown singled to drive in Ian Desmond with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th.
REDS 5, ASTROS 1: Bronson Arroyo extended his personal winning streak to five games, and Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips homered for Cincinnati in a win over visiting Houston.
CUBS 4, PIRATES 3: Jeff Samardzija pitched Chicago’s first complete game of the season, beating visiting Pittsburgh.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
WHITE SOX 5, ROYALS 4: Dayan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers and Paul Konerko each homered to back Chris Sale’s six solid innings at Chicago.
ORIOLES 5, YANKEES 4: Baltimore continued its long-ball onslaught, hitting three home runs off CC Sabathia to move back into a tie atop the AL East with visiting New York.
Mark Reynolds, Lew Ford and J.J. Hardy homered for the Orioles, who have won 11 of 15 overall and 9 of 13 against the Yankees.
RANGERS 4, RAYS 2: Rookie Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 10th inning at St. Petersburg, Fla.
TWINS 3, INDIANS 0: Cole DeVries pitched six scoreless innings to win his third straight start as Minnesota beat visiting Cleveland.
ANGELS 6, TIGERS 1: C.J. Wilson won his third straight start, Mike Trout hit a leadoff homer and Los Angeles roughed up Justin Verlander en route to a victory over visiting Detroit.
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