San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Series Preview

Ah, September baseball. For baseball fans, September is a month of drama, playoff implications, and make-or-break moments. The San Francisco Giants and their playoff hopes will be tested this weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home starting today in a three-game series.

The Giants are currently two games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West, and they currently hold the first wild card spot in the National League. It is of the utmost importance for the Giants to do everything they can to win the division and not settle for a wild card spot, and this series will be one of the most important series of the season because of those implications.

Both the Dodgers and the Giants are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Dodgers have a 83-63 record, and the Giants have a 81-65 record.

The Dodgers currently have a 99.9 percent chance of making the playoffs, and the Giants currently have a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs. Both teams are likely to make the playoffs, but which team will make the playoffs and be crowned the NL West Champions? That remains to be seen.

Everyone knows about the Giants’ deep, storied rivalry with the Dodgers. Any time the Giants face the Dodgers, there’s bound to be drama, but this time around, there’s even more drama than usual because of the tight playoff race in the NL West.

The Giants and Dodgers face each other one more time this season in Los Angeles on September 22nd-24th, but the Giants have to take advantage of this series at home and prove that they deserve to win the NL West.

The Giants have been preparing all season for a series like this, and given their recent hot streak, they are well-equipped to make a statement in this series.

Let’s examine the pitching matchups in this series:

Friday Sept. 12th at 7:15 pm PT: Hyun-jin Ryu (14-6, 3.16 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (17-9, 3.02 ERA)

Against the Giants this season, Ryu has gone 2-1 and has a 5.40 ERA in three starts. Ryu has also won his four out of his last five decisions.

Against the Dodgers this season, Bumgarner has gone 2-1 and has a 2.41 ERA in three starts. Bumgarner has allowed just seven earned runs in his last four starts, and the Giants have won all four of those starts.

Saturday Sept. 13th at 6:05 pm PT: Zack Greinke (14-8, 2.73 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (9-10, 3.12 ERA)

Against the Giants this season, Greinke has gone 3-0 and has a 1.80 ERA in three starts. In his one start at AT&T Park this season, he pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up just four hits.

Against the Dodgers this season, Hudson has started just one game so far, and he gave up eight hits and two earned runs in six innings. Hudson has struggled recently, but the Giants won his last two starts at home.

Sunday Sept. 14th at 1:05 pm PT: Clayton Kershaw (18-3, 1.67 ERA) vs. Yusmeiro Petit (5-3, 3.62 ERA)

Against the Giants this season, Kershaw has gone 1-0 and has a 1.69 ERA in two starts. Kershaw has a history of domination against the Giants, and in his one start at AT&T Park this season, he gave up just three hits, he struck out seven, and he walked just one in a complete game shutout.

Against the Dodgers this season, Petit has given up just one hit and no earned runs in 6 2/3 innings, over the course of four games. In his last start, Petit pitched a complete game in just 84 pitches (68 strikes, only 16 balls) and gave up just one earned run to the Arizona Diamondbacks.