SAN FRANCISCO - Marco Scutaro came through yet again for his new team - and in a key series opener in early September this time.
Scutaro's broken-bat single in the seventh inning drove in two runs, and the Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Friday.
"I didn't really make good contact," said Scutaro, who finished the game 2-for-5. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."
Article Photos
Shane Victorino of the Dodgers steals second base before a tag by the Giants’ Brandon Crawford during the fifth inning Friday.
AP photo
San Francisco, leader in the National League West standings, stretched its advantage over Los Angeles to 5 1/2 games, a season high.
Tim Lincecum walked a career-high seven batters and failed to win back-to-back starts for just the third time this year. Santiago Casilla (7-5) relieved Lincecum and got the final two outs in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the inning, Angel Pagan was intentionally walked by Josh Beckett (1-2) to load the bases, and Scutaro followed with a bloop single to shallow right.
Since Scutaro was acquired from the Colorado Rockies on July 27, he is batting .331 (53-for-160) with 26 RBIs in 38 games.
"I pretty much know what my game is. I'm not a power hitter, I'm not an RBI guy," he said. "My game is to try to get on base. I stay with my plan. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
The Dodgers, who left 11 runners on base, are fourth in the NL wild-card standings, percentage points behind the Pittsburgh Pirates - both teams trail the second-place St. Louis Cardinals by 1 1/2 games.
"Ultimately we want to win the division but sometimes it is necessary to look outside the bubble," said Los Angeles' Shane Victorino, a St. Anthony High School graduate and one of the major leagues' two active Maui-born players. "The goal? It's about getting there. The first is to win the division."
