SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – On a day that didn’t go well for Dodgers starter Brett Anderson, he took some solace in the fact he came out of an awkward slide unharmed.

Anderson went to cover first base in the fourth inning of Los Angeles’ 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night when Adrian Gonzalez flipped a ball toward first and the ball sailed to the dugout. Anderson went diving to try to retrieve it and hit his right forearm hard on the ground and gave himself a good scrape.

Anderson’s day was done after the fourth and dropped to 0-3 in four career starts against San Francisco, and Los Angeles had its seven-game winning streak snapped.

“The only positive thing was I make a terrible head-long slide and was able to come back and pitch again,” he said. “It wasn’t the greatest. This was an example of why this is the best-most frustrating game in the world.”

Tim Lincecum (1-1) shut down the first-place Dodgers with some sparkling double-play defense behind him – four double plays in all.

“We were getting guys on early but we erased them with the 2-ball,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

Yasiel Puig went 2 for 4 while returning to the Los Angeles lineup after missing four of the previous five games with a sore left hamstring, while rookie Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson singled and walked twice as he spent his 23rd birthday playing in front of family and friends in his native Bay Area.

Justin Maxwell hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and San Francisco won for just the second time in 11 games behind Lincecum’s first victory in three starts.

Nori Aoki, Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey hit RBI singles for the Giants.

Lincecum, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, struck out five in six innings, allowing five hits and one run with three walks.

A marquee matchup is on tap for Wednesday night between reigning NL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner in a likely duel of top left-handers. It marks the fourth time they have met and first since Sept. 13, 2013. It’s the first time the reigning regular-season MVP goes opposite the World Series MVP in a starting pitching matchup, according to STATS.

Maxwell, getting a rare start, tripled in the second off Anderson (1-1) and scored on Brandon Crawford’s bunt single moments later. He earned another start Wednesday, manager Bruce Bochy said.

Maxwell made a remarkable catch in foul territory while crashing into the wall in right field on Puig’s hard-hit ball in the eighth. Maxwell’s left knee and side made hard contact with the cement portion of the wall and athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and center fielder Angel Pagan came over to check on him. Puig clapped for Maxwell from the dugout as the outfielder shook off his tender wrist and stayed in the game.

He added to his big day with the homer to deep left in the bottom half, his first with the Giants.

“It’s nice to see him find a home with us and doing well,” Lincecum said.

Lincecum, who cut his hair since his last start in a rocker-inspired ‘do, bounced back from a 4-2 defeat to Colorado last Wednesday. After Jean Machi walked the bases loaded in the ninth, Santiago Casilla came in and threw a wild pitch that scored a run before finishing for his fifth save in as many tries.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Closer Kenley Jansen will continue throwing bullpens every other day until he’s ready to face live hitters in his recovery from left foot surgery. “He’s on track for us,” Mattingly said.

Giants: RF Hunter Pence’s rehab from a fractured left forearm will take longer than the initial May 1 target date. He still must hit off a tee and soft toss, “all these boxes he’s got to check off,” Bochy said.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Last year, Kershaw (1-1) went 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in four starts against San Francisco.

Giants: Bumgarner (1-1) is 11-5 with a 2.54 ERA in his first 17 outings, 16 starts, against the Dodgers and went 3-2 in five appearances last year while allowing two or fewer runs in four of those.

DODGERS ADDITION

Outfielder Chris Heisey, acquired in a December trade from the Reds, joined the Dodgers from Triple-A but had yet to be activated. Mattingly remained mum on Heisey’s potential role.

“We wouldn’t fly him here for no reason,” Mattingly said.