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SAN FRANCISCO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have displayed a radically improved bullpen so far this season, but they've relied a bit too heavily on a good thing. For the second game in a row, the bullpen took the loss in a 3-2, 10 innings decision to the San Francisco Giants that capped a three-game sweep at AT&T Park. The percentages finally caught up to manager Don Mattingly as, once again, he asked his relievers to carry a heavy burden, 4 1/3 innings in this case. Reliever Juan Nicasio gave up the winning run on Justin Maxwell's RBI single to left.   How it happened: Howie Kendrick made the play of the season so far and, at the time, it looked like it would preserve a win for the Dodgers. But Pedro Baez allowed the Giants to tie it in the ninth, thanks to a Brandon Crawford RBI triple, then buckled down and escaped a man-on-third, nobody-out spot. With the bases loaded an inning earlier, Maxwell had ripped a line drive up the middle, but Kendrick timed his dive perfectly and caught it in midair to end the inning. The Dodgers got a good spot start from Mike Bolsinger, who allowed one run on five hits and struck out five Giants in 5 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers continue to rely heavily on their bullpen, however, and manager Don Mattingly showed shaky confidence in Bolsinger, pulling him after just 81 pitches after he allowed a walk and two singles in the sixth inning. Chris Hatcher cleaned that inning up with a strikeout and Yimi Garcia continued to be the team's most impressive reliever. The Dodgers did not have an impressive hitting performance in the three games here, with struggling right-hander Ryan Vogelsong holding them to two runs -- solo home runs to Alex Guerrero and Adrian Gonzalez -- over six innings. What it means: The Dodgers, who came in as the second-hottest team in baseball, endured their first three-game sweep since last August. Notable: The debate about what to do at third base will continue to rage after the rookie, Guerrero, smacked his fourth home run and added a seventh-inning single. Guerrero has 12 RBIs, which is 12 more than incumbent third baseman Juan Uribe has. ... An injury to catcher A.J. Ellis' hand may be more serious than the Dodgers were letting on before the game. Outfielder Scott Van Slyke warmed up reliever J.P. Howell in the eighth inning. … The first pitch of the game hit Justin Turner in the left hip. Up next: The Dodgers open a three-game series in San Diego Friday night, with Zack Greinke (2-0, 1.83) opposing Andrew Cashner (1-2, 2.65 ERA) at 10:10 p.m. ET.
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