Focused Dodgers, tenacious Giants enter critical NL West series
SAN FRANCISCO -- So maybe pressing the panic button is not such a bad idea.
It was just a week ago when Clayton Kershaw suggested the Los Angeles Dodgers do just that, later clarifying he meant the team needed to have a sense of urgency after losing five in a row, its lead in the National League West down to 1½ games.
At the time, the Dodgers had lost back-to-back starts by Kershaw and Zack Greinke for just the fourth time in the 72 instances they had pitched consecutively, the club’s bullpen was a mess and center fielder Joc Pederson was mired in a seemingly endless slump.
Even getting no-hit Sunday night for the second time in nine days -- this time a 12-strikeout tour de force by Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta -- can't erase the notion the Dodgers have steadied themselves.
“I think it was the right feeling to freak out a little bit,’’ outfielder Andre Ethier told news reporters. “You see the Giants creeping up on you a little bit and you see the games you have ahead and the games you have against those guys.’’
MLB SALARIES: Baseball's top 25 highest-paid players in 2024
There are seven of those left in the season, the next three taking place at Dodger Stadium starting Monday. Even in their current depleted state, the defending champion San Francisco Giants represent the biggest challenge to the Dodgers’ designs on a third consecutive division crown, and they have beaten L.A. nine out of 12 times this year.
With the rosters expanding on Tuesday, the Giants will welcome back two veterans coming off the disabled list in outfielder Angel Pagan and right-hander Tim Hudson, now slated for bullpen duty. But that hardly makes them whole in a season that has tested their depth, as right fielder Hunter Pence (oblique) continues to serve his third stint on the DL and All-Star second baseman Joe Panik remains sidelined by a back injury.
San Francisco has received steady, at times surprising production from their replacements, Marlon Byrd and Kelby Tomlinson. Byrd’s two run-scoring doubles and a triple Sunday gave him 14 RBI in nine games since the Giants acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds in an Aug. 20 trade.
Tomlinson, a 25-year-old rookie, is batting .328 and drove in the decisive run in Friday’s walkoff victory.
Those contributions have helped the Giants survive – though not exactly thrive – during a particularly treacherous part of their schedule. Sunday’s 7-5 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals left the Giants with a 10-13 record during a 26-game span in which they face only contending teams, a stretch that culminates with this week’s games in Los Angeles.
The series presents a chance to make up some ground, but also the possibility of falling dangerously behind with the calendar already turning to September.
“It’s a critical series,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after Sunday’s loss. “We know it. It’s that time of year and these guys know that too. We have to go down there and play well. They’re good and they are on a roll right now. They’re on a win streak and playing good baseball.
“You look forward to series like this, especially when you’re behind. Your best chance is playing the team that’s ahead of you. We have our work cut out and we need to win ballgames. It’s pretty simple at this point.”
The $300 million Dodgers will be awaiting with their co-aces lined up for Tuesday and Wednesday, not to mention an improved bullpen – their relievers allowed one run in 13 innings during the five-game surge – and a new starting center fielder in versatile rookie Kike Hernandez.
Tuesday’s matchup has the makings of the kind of game that has made this rivalry so fascinating to watch, with Giants ace Madison Bumgarner opposing Greinke, the major league ERA leader.
Bumgarner has long made himself at home at Dodger Stadium, where he boasts a career 8-3 record and 2.08 ERA, and he has been particularly sharp in his three starts against L.A. this season – all of them San Francisco wins – fashioning a 1.31 ERA.
Greinke is 6-0 with a 2.28 ERA in eight career starts against the Giants and beat them the only time he faced them this year.
“Greinke is a very intelligent pitcher,” says outfielder Gregor Blanco. “He throws every pitch with strength and with attitude, and I think that’s what makes him a good pitcher. But we have had good series against them this year, so we need to go down there and show what we’re made of.”