Dodgers less than inspiring the night after, fall to San Francisco Giants, 5-0

Well, come on, it was the day after. Certainly, there was still something to play for, but perhaps the Dodgers could be excused for not being at their finest.

The night before, they had hammered the San Francisco Giants to clinch their third consecutive division title. So Wednesday called, and if the mind was mostly willing, the body just did not seem all that interested.

So the Dodgers went down quickly and easily to the Giants, falling 5-0 at AT&T Park, managing just two lousy hits in the process.

Manager Don Mattingly started a legitimate lineup, but only Jimmy Rollins -- who unexpectedly finds himself fighting for his starting job as the postseason approaches -- managed a soft liner to center for the Dodgers’ first hit, in the fourth against right-hander Mike Leake.

Otherwise, the Dodgers looked like they may have celebrated late into the night. The game offered little clarification to the postseason, unless you thought Mike Bolsinger still had a chance to make the roster.

The right-hander, who was a surprise back in May, has not approached that performance since rejoining the team in September. On this night, his famed curveball again was something less than ordinary.

Bolsinger (6-6) lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. He gave up a two-run homer to Matt Duffy in the first, and the game was essentially over with.

The game was costly to the Dodgers, though. The Mets again lost, which meant a Dodgers’ victory would have left them with the same record in the battle for home-field advantage (the Mets, however, own the tiebreaker).

The Dodgers have just four regular-season games remaining and are running out of time to move ahead of the Mets.

Otherwise, the Dodgers got some work in Wednesday, even if their energy level was the polar opposite of the previous night.

Closer Kenley Jansen pitched for the first time in six days, and gave up a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Joel Peralta, who had been throwing better of late, gave up a solo home run to Nick Noonan in the seventh, the first career homer for the infielder.

Rollins went one for two with a walk. Corey Seager, the phenom who appears to have unseated Rollins at short, moved to third on this night and went hitless in three at-bats. It was the first time in his 24 games that he did not safely reach base. Carl Crawford added a second hit in the ninth with an infield hit.

Leake (11-10) did all the rest to earn his first career shutout. He wasn’t exactly overpowering -- he struck out one and walked three -- but his control was sharp enough, and the Dodgers were less than inspiring.

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