Dodgers Giants Game 1 Preview

I’m getting tired of writing these “coming off a no-hitter” posts, but here we are, 10 days later, and the Dodgers are entering a vital series coming off getting no-hit again.

Jake Arrieta was absolutely filthy last night, and earned every bit of that no-hitter. Sure, Enrique Hernandez probably should have had a hit on that rocket that Starlin Castro couldn’t handle, but he didn’t. I might be in the minority here, but I don’t really care that the Dodgers got no-hit. Arrieta was dominant, the Dodgers lost the game, the Dodgers took two of three and enter their Giants series with a 3.5 game lead in the West. Hard to really complain.

Aug 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jake Peavy (22) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

This series is a little more relaxing considering that absolute worst case, the Dodgers will go to San Diego on Thursday leading the division by half a game. I don’t expect that to be the case, but the Giants have had the Dodgers’ number this year, winning nine of the 12 games the two teams have played. They haven’t played in more than two months and in that last game, the Dodgers won 10-2. So that’s a bit of a silver lining.

Brett Anderson, who started that game on June 21, gets the ball tonight against the Giants. Anderson is 28 innings (4 or 5 starts) from matching his career high and has been nothing but solid for the Dodgers this season. He’s coming off a great outing in Cincinnati, where he allowed five hits and three unearned runs in six 2/3 innings. He’s 1-2 in three starts against the Giants this year, and while he pitched poorly in his first start against them, his last two have been quality starts. He only failed to go six innings once in five August starts, and has really solidified himself as a solid #3/great #4 starter.

The Giants, coming off a series loss against the Cardinals, will send Jake Peavy to the mound. Peavy was great for the Giants in the second half of last year, but his success hasn’t carried over this year. He has a 4.21 ERA (3.98 FIP) and he’s currently giving up the third-most hits/9 in his 14 year career. He also has the second-worst K/BB rate of his career and five of the seven home runs he’s surrendered this season have come on the road.

Despite getting no-hit and losing yesterday, the biggest lost came when Hernandez tried to leg out an infield single and pulled something in his hamstring. Rosters are set to expand tomorrow, but Kiké has been great for the Dodgers and his versatility has been vital in Donnie’s lineup construction. Hopefully, he’s not out for too long, and him being on the lineup card seems like a good sign.

Without Kiké in the lineup, the recently demoted Joc Pederson figures to get a chance to right the ship. He’s probably the best defensive player on the team, and hitting eighth he should at the very least be able to draw some walks.

The first wave of September callups seems to include Austin Barnes (yay) Mike Bolsinger (yay), Ian Thomas (meh) and Joel Peralta (ugh). There will likely be more callups, especially with a lefty starting tomorrow, so don’t worry that certain players haven’t been called up yet.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA and MLB Network (blacked out in LA markets).