The last six games were not ones that should be particularly remembered. I for one don’t even care to think about them anymore. And if the Dodgers want to end the first half on a high note, they probably should too.
The Dodgers are in San Francisco for a three-game set with the Giants before either heading to the All-Star Game or away for some rest and relaxation. I think pretty much everyone on the team needs a reset aside from Will Smith and Clayton Kershaw.
The last time the Dodgers and Giants met, it was in the middle of a tough stretch of games for the Dodgers, and the division was very close between those two teams and the San Diego Padres. While the lead for the Dodgers was once up to nine games, the lead over the Giants is five and 5½ games up on the Padres.
The Dodgers are guaranteed to end the first half with the division lead. But as we all know that doesn’t really matter, it’s where you are at the end of the season that counts.
Overall, the way the team has had nearly every player on the team on the IL at some point, it’s pretty impressive that they have the best record in the NL and the second best in MLB. Stands to reason that when they have the team back closer to full strength towards the end of the season, they will be in good shape to make a long run though the playoffs. Now, though, it’s just not fun to watch.
The Dodgers start the Giants series by sending Dustin May to the mound against Logan Webb, in a battle of the red heads. May is coming off his best start of the season, going into the eighth (which was the longest outing of his career), and taking a perfect game into the sixth. He ended up allowing a two-run homer before exiting the game, but clearly looked the best he’s looked on the mound in a long time.
Webb is now 6-5 on the year, with a 2.58 ERA. He faced the Dodgers in their first series in Los Angeles, where he beat Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the only Giants win that series. He went seven innings allowing only two runs. Maybe James Outman can be a spark for the team, as he has a .444 batting average against Webb, 4-for-9 with a triple.
It has to be someone who is the spark. The team cannot score with only two or three players hitting well at any given time. If the team would like to show some fight, a series in San Fran after losing six straight is a good place to start.
Friday game info
- Teams: Dodgers at Giants
- Ballpark: Oracle Park, San Francisco
- Start time: 7:15 p.m. PT
- TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)