Dodgers Giants Game Two Preview

Following a late win, the Dodgers look to clinch a series victory against the Giants.

The morning after a Clayton Kershaw start is basically the exact opposite of a hangover. It’s so pleasant. Writers have been tweeting absurd Kershaw stats and none of them are really surprising ever.

When we can genuinely be a bit annoyed at Kershaw allowing two whole earned runs in eight innings, you know we’re looking at something special. At the very least, the Giants earned those two runs. No Giants Devil Magic last night, Kershaw made two horrible pitches and Matt Duffy and Buster Posey crushed them. No shame in that, it’s much more tolerable than Kershaw getting infield singled to death. Justin Turner‘s homer was pretty cool too, so overall I was a fan of yesterday’s game.

Today’s matchup features two pitchers that still haven’t really shown what they are. Both can show flashes of dominance, both can look like batting practice, and often both of these pitchers teeter back and forth between these extremes in the same start.

Scott Kazmir has been hot of late. He allowed three runs in five innings in his last time out, but after giving up two runs in the first against the Braves, Kazmir got through five and allowed three runs. Obviously not ideal, but it kept the Dodgers in the game and they responded by exploding for 12 runs. Kazmir’s previous outing pitted him against Jake Arrieta, and Kazmir threw six shutout innings against the Cubs, so it seems like he’s turned a corner. He faced the Giants twice in his first three starts of the season, and allowed 10 runs in eight total innings, so this might not be the best matchup.

Jeff Samardzija gets the ball for the Giants, and he’s been a little closer to the Samardzija everyone hypes rather than the Samardzija that owns a 4.04 career ERA and only three seasons with a sub-3.50 ERA. Moving to an extreme pitchers’ park with a good defense is helping, as he owns a 3.33 ERA/3.56 FIP combo, while none of his other numbers have looked any better than his career marks. He was signed to be their number three starter and has pitched like a number three starter, but he was great in May as he allowed exactly one run in four of his six May starts. June got off to a bad start, as he allowed four homers and six earned runs in five innings his last time out against the Cardinals.

Fairly standard lineup, with the wheel of left fielders landing on Howie Kendrick. Of the left field candidates, Kendrick definitely provides the best bat, but his fielding leaves a lot to be desired.

The OKC Dodgers will be busy in the coming days, as Brandon McCarthy is set to begin his rehab today. Hyun-jin Ryu will resume his rehab there tomorrow following a brief setback, and Yasiel Puig will begin his rehab assignment on Monday.

Next: Dodgers First Day Draft Picks

First pitch is scheduled for 4:15 PST and will be shown on Fox (not blacked out).