Slide continues for Dodgers in 9-5 loss to San Francisco Giants

Funk, thy name is Dodgers.

These things happen to teams during the course of a 162-game season, but the one the Dodgers are currently floundering in may be coming at a particularly bad time.

Manager Don Mattingly tried the team meeting routine Thursday and went to the lineup shuffle Friday, and although the offense showed a little more life, the result seemed pretty much in line with the performances the Dodgers have been putting forth of late.

They lost for the fourth time in five games, this one to the rival San Francisco Giants, 9-5, before a crowd of 52,503 at Dodger Stadium.

The loss cut their lead over the Giants to 1½ games in the National League West and left the Dodgers 2-8 on the season against San Francisco.

Mattingly moved pieces throughout his lineup Friday, and if the four runs looked like a great improvement over their past few games, the only player who seemed to benefit was third baseman Justin Turner.

Turner had three hits -- two doubles and a solo homer -- scored twice and drove in two runs. The Dodgers did manage five runs on nine hits, so that’s something. It was the first time they’d scored more than four runs in eight games.

Mattingly tried Yasiel Puig in the leadoff spot Friday, and that might prove a short experiment. Puig went hitless in five at-bats, and twice flied out on the first pitch. After the Dodgers scored a final run in the bottom of the ninth, Puig struck out to end the game with two runners on.

Right-hander Mike Bolsinger, who had allowed only three runs in his first four starts at Dodger Stadium, was not nearly as sharp Friday and paid the price. That can happen when a light-throwing pitcher who depends on his curveball is having trouble with location.

At least the Dodgers’ infamous scoring drought against the Giants finally ended in the second inning after Howie Kendrick led off with a single. He took second on run-and-hit play when Andre Ethier bounced out to second.

That allowed Kendrick to score when Yasmani Gandal singled to center. The Dodgers went 32 consecutive innings against Giants before finally pushing a run across. By a single inning, it’s the longest any Giants opponent has ever gone without scoring. It is one inning shy of the Dodgers’ record against any opponent, the 1967 Dodgers going 33 innings without scoring against the Pirates.

The Dodgers’ 1-0 lead did not last long. The Giants loaded the bases against Bolsinger in the third on a Gregor Blanco single, a Nori Aoki infield hit that went off the glove of Howie Kendrick, and then, most damagingly, a two-out walk to Angel Pagan.

Loading the bases for Buster Posey is never a good idea, which became evident soon enough. Bolsinger probably thought he had Posey struck out on a 1-2 pitch that appeared to catch the far edge of the plate but was called a ball.

That led to a full-count hanging curveball the Posey deposited into the Dodgers’ bullpen. It was Posey’s 10th home run of the season and third career grand slam.

The Dodgers managed to pull back within a run in the bottom of the inning after Joc Pederson doubled with one out against right-hander Chris Heston. Turner followed with a run-scoring double of his own, aided by left fielder Aoki mistakenly diving for, and missing, the ball.

Adrian Gonzalez added an RBI single to pull the Dodgers within one, but Kendrick bounced into a double play to end the rally.

The Giants added one more in the sixth on a Brandon Crawford double, and then put the game away with four runs in the seventh. By then the Giants were just tormenting the Dodgers.

Turner’s seventh home run of the season came in the eighth, off right-hander George Kontos.

Follow Steve Dilbeck on Twitter @SteveDilbeck