After dispatching one second-place team during the week, the Los Angeles Dodgers will face another one when they host the San Francisco Giants on Friday in the start of a three-game weekend series.
It is the longest wait for the first Dodgers-Giants game in a season since 1999.
While the Dodgers just took two of three on the road against the San Diego Padres, the Giants enter the series after doing the same against the reeling Colorado Rockies to move into second place in the National League West. The Dodgers are one game ahead of the Giants, two in front of the Padres.
In a continued pitching scramble because of injuries, the Dodgers will send their top starter to the mound Friday in right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.20 ERA).
Yamamoto pitched a gem at St. Louis on Saturday when he delivered six scoreless innings of a no-decision that ended in a 2-1 Cardinals win. He has faced the Giants just once in two seasons, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings on May 13, 2024.
Los Angeles won the deciding game of the series 5-2 at San Diego on Wednesday. Teoscar Hernandez, who belted a three-run home run in the sixth inning, is batting just .173 in 21 games since returning from a groin injury.
“Trying to get back the feeling that I had before I got injured,” Hernandez said. “It’s hard to think (about) timing and pitch selection and trying to do things in the middle of the game, in big at-bats, especially when I have three guys in front that get on base a lot.”
It won’t get any easier to multi-task against the Giants, who underwent a roster shuffle last week in a search for offense. They responded with a seven-game winning streak that ended in an 8-7 loss to the Rockies on Thursday when they failed to preserve a 7-3 lead in the seventh inning.
After the Giants designated LaMonte Wade Jr. and Sam Huff for assignment and optioned Christian Koss on June 4, they signed veteran Dominic Smith. On Thursday, Smith hit his first home run with his new club and is 8-for-25 (.320) in eight games.
“He’s been great with quality at-bats kind of at a different level,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “Not trying to do too much and then if you get a pitch you can drive, he can hit the ball out of the ballpark too. But really good at-bats almost every time up. He’s been a good addition for us.”
Now the Giants are trying to cover for the loss of third baseman Matt Chapman (hand), who went on the injured list Tuesday. His replacement at third, Casey Schmitt, made a costly error in the ninth inning Thursday that led to the Rockies’ three-run, game-winning rally.
Key free-agent addition Willy Adames has not produced to expectations early in the season but has started to come to life. He was 5-for-11 with two home runs and five RBIs in the series against the Rockies.
The Giants are expected to send right-hander Logan Webb (5-5, 2.58) to the mound Friday. He had 10 strikeouts and no walks in a no-decision against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, a 3-2 Giants win.
In 16 career starts against the Dodgers, Webb is 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 85 1/3 innings. In eight starts at Los Angeles, he is 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA.
–Field Level Media
