A week of subpar baseball against their California rivals rendered remote the Dodgers’ chances at home-field advantage in the first round of playoffs even before Saturday’s game against the Giants began. The hope for Game 1 at Dodger Stadium vanished when a throw from third baseman Justin Turner skipped past Adrian Gonzalez at first base in the seventh inning of a 3-0 defeat.
Turner is a sure-handed fielder with an arm that holds strong and true. He was forced into an awkward position after a groundball from San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford deflected off the kneeling form of ace Clayton Kershaw, who had dipped to retrieve the baseball.