LOS ANGELES -AP- A.J. Ellis drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 14th inning before the Los Angeles Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs. With slugger Adrian Gonzalez at the plate, the slow-footed Ellis knew he would have to hustle to score.Gonzalez singled to deep left field, driving in Ellis for a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants early Tuesday in the opener of a crucial series between the NL West's top two teams."There was a high level of panic," Ellis said. "As soon as I saw [left fielder Nori] Aoki's number turn around and not facing me anymore, I felt comfortable." 
Ellis entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth and caught the final five innings."When you set the table for Gonzalez, you know he's going to find a way to come through," he said. "That was a great team win. So many guys contributed."The first-place Dodgers' lead increased to 4½ games over their second-place rivals after the longest game by innings between the teams since May 2, 1995. It was the fifth-longest game between them since both teams moved to California in 1958, according to ESPN Stats & Information."It stinks," Giants starter Jake Peavy said. "We've got to win 'em all against the Dodgers. We know that."San Francisco's Mike Broadway (0-1) started his first inning of relief by walking Ellis and then gave up consecutive singles to Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley to load the bases. Giants reliever Yusmeiro Petit came on and Gonzalez hit his first pitch to deep left field, finishing off the 5-hour, 29-minute game that started in August and ended in September."We had our chances, they did too," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, "but the pitchers on both sides just found a way to get out of it all night."Chris Hatcher (2-5) pitched three innings for the win. The Dodgers used seven pitchers, with their much-maligned bullpen coming through in the clutch."It's a good feeling," Gonzalez said. "Knowing we have [Zack] Greinke and [Clayton] Kershaw the next two days is an even better feeling."The Dodgers won for just the fourth time in 13 games against the Giants this season, a day after getting no-hit by Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs, the second time it happened in 10 days.Both teams wasted numerous scoring opportunities as the game stretched into the wee hours and most of the 40,851 fans bailed. The 5-hour, 29-minute contest was the third-longest game (by time) ever played at Dodgers Stadium."The atmosphere gets better in those situations," Ellis said. "It reminds me of the minor leagues. That kind of dull buzz goes away and you hear individual things. We're glad we could deliver for these fans who stuck around."It became a battle of attrition for both teams.The Dodgers sent Kershaw, their ace, to the plate with two outs in the 11th when they had no position players left. He grounded out to end the inning. The Giants ran out of position players in the 14th."It is September, so we might have been able to use September call-ups," Gonzalez joked.Marlon Byrd of the Giants tied the game 4-all in the eighth with an RBI double in the right-field corner off Juan Nicasio. Byrd drove in three of the Giants' four runs.The Giants have lost six of their past nine as they try to catch the Dodgers with a month left in the regular season.Gonzalez and Andre Ethier homered for the tying and go-ahead runs in the sixth inning, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.Gonzalez's two-run homer, his 25th, tied the game 2-all and scored Rollins, who had a leadoff single. With two outs, Ethier homered to chase Peavy, who came in with a 6-0 record over his previous 10 starts at Dodger Stadium.
Ellis entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth and caught the final five innings."When you set the table for Gonzalez, you know he's going to find a way to come through," he said. "That was a great team win. So many guys contributed."The first-place Dodgers' lead increased to 4½ games over their second-place rivals after the longest game by innings between the teams since May 2, 1995. It was the fifth-longest game between them since both teams moved to California in 1958, according to ESPN Stats & Information."It stinks," Giants starter Jake Peavy said. "We've got to win 'em all against the Dodgers. We know that."San Francisco's Mike Broadway (0-1) started his first inning of relief by walking Ellis and then gave up consecutive singles to Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley to load the bases. Giants reliever Yusmeiro Petit came on and Gonzalez hit his first pitch to deep left field, finishing off the 5-hour, 29-minute game that started in August and ended in September."We had our chances, they did too," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, "but the pitchers on both sides just found a way to get out of it all night."Chris Hatcher (2-5) pitched three innings for the win. The Dodgers used seven pitchers, with their much-maligned bullpen coming through in the clutch."It's a good feeling," Gonzalez said. "Knowing we have [Zack] Greinke and [Clayton] Kershaw the next two days is an even better feeling."The Dodgers won for just the fourth time in 13 games against the Giants this season, a day after getting no-hit by Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs, the second time it happened in 10 days.Both teams wasted numerous scoring opportunities as the game stretched into the wee hours and most of the 40,851 fans bailed. The 5-hour, 29-minute contest was the third-longest game (by time) ever played at Dodgers Stadium."The atmosphere gets better in those situations," Ellis said. "It reminds me of the minor leagues. That kind of dull buzz goes away and you hear individual things. We're glad we could deliver for these fans who stuck around."It became a battle of attrition for both teams.The Dodgers sent Kershaw, their ace, to the plate with two outs in the 11th when they had no position players left. He grounded out to end the inning. The Giants ran out of position players in the 14th."It is September, so we might have been able to use September call-ups," Gonzalez joked.Marlon Byrd of the Giants tied the game 4-all in the eighth with an RBI double in the right-field corner off Juan Nicasio. Byrd drove in three of the Giants' four runs.The Giants have lost six of their past nine as they try to catch the Dodgers with a month left in the regular season.Gonzalez and Andre Ethier homered for the tying and go-ahead runs in the sixth inning, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.Gonzalez's two-run homer, his 25th, tied the game 2-all and scored Rollins, who had a leadoff single. With two outs, Ethier homered to chase Peavy, who came in with a 6-0 record over his previous 10 starts at Dodger Stadium.
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