Johnny Cueto retires first 13, pitches Giants past Dodgers 4-3

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Cueto pitched 7? sharp innings, and the Giants got run-scoring hits from Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt in a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Cueto (3-0) helped manager Bruce Bochy celebrate his 61st birthday, allowing a run and three hits with seven strikeouts.

Javier Lopez gave up Corey Seager's two-run homer in the eighth on a full count, but Santiago Casilla got the last three outs for his third save in four chances after giving up a leadoff double by Yasmani Grandal.

Cueto, who signed a six-year, $130 million contract in December after leaving the World Series champion Kansas City Royals, retired his first 13 batters before Grandal doubled to the wall in right-center on a full count.

The veteran right-hander also received some defensive help. Shortstop Crawford made a running over-the-shoulder catch of Trayce Thompson's popup in short left-center field in the third, and center fielder Denard Span robbed Justin Turner of a bloop single with a sliding grab to end the fourth.

Turner led off the seventh with a double and scored on a two-out, opposite-field single by Kike Hernandez, who had two homers and four RBIs against Madison Bumgarner in the Dodgers' series-opening 7-3 win.

Scott Kazmir (1-1) was charged with four runs, seven hits and four walks over five-plus innings. The left-hander, matching up against Cueto for the second time in seven days, failed to retire any of the four batters he faced in the fifth as the Giants scored their final two runs.

NOTES

Lopez allowed only one home run in 39? innings last season. Seager's homer to center field was the first the left-hander has given up in 35? career innings against the Dodgers. … The Giants haven't hit a home run in their last 11 games at Dodger Stadium since Sept. 23, 2014, when Bumgarner victimized mound opponent Zack Greinke with a two-run shot. … Cueto's next victory will be the ninth-year veteran's 100th in the regular season. He has made 229 starts - 45 fewer than Kazmir, who also has 99 wins.