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Dodgers: 3 reasons why the rivalry with Giants is officially back

By Thomas Carannante |
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 09: A.J. Pollock #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his three run home run with Justin Turner #10 and Cody Bellinger #35 against relief pitcher Tyler Rogers #71 of the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on August 9, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 09: A.J. Pollock #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his three run home run with Justin Turner #10 and Cody Bellinger #35 against relief pitcher Tyler Rogers #71 of the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on August 9, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants will face one another for the first time in 2021 on Friday when they open a three-game set at Oracle Park.

Yeah, we’ve been waiting a long time for this, too.

Though the Dodgers-Giants rivalry is always “there,” it certainly lost its luster since 2017. Since then, San Fran has been an awful 243-303 while Los Angeles has been the best team in Major League Baseball. It just wasn’t the same … especially with the emergence of the Padres over the last couple of years.

But now? The Giants are leading the division and have surprised pretty much all of baseball with their 26-16 start. The Dodgers thought they’d just be trying to kick the Padres off their heels, but at this very moment, they may have two legitimate contenders to stave off as they hope to repeat as World Series champions.

If there’s a silver lining to take out of the Giants’ return to relevancy, it’s that LA’s rivalry with San Fran is back in full force. And what fans don’t like gearing up for tense, heated and competitive series with teams they absolutely hate?

3 reasons the Dodgers-Giants rivalry is officially back in 2021.

Alex Wood #57 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Alex Wood #57 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

3. The Giants signed Alex Wood and Jake McGee

Think the Dodgers could use the services of Alex Wood and Jake McGee right about now with all the problems their pitching staff is enduring?

Even worse? Both left-handers are playing for the enemy. So far this year for the Giants, here’s what they’re doing:

  • Alex Wood: 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in six starts (36 innings)
  • Jake McGee: 4.82 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 26 strikeouts and 11 saves in 18.2 innings (one disastrous four-run outing has inflated his ERA)

These guys were on the Dodgers last year! Letting them go wasn’t a mistake, though. Los Angeles’ pitching staff is stacked and there was no room for them. What the Dodgers didn’t foresee, however, was Wood being among the ERA leaders for starting pitchers and McGee being among the saves leaders for closers.

Now, in the race for the NL West, these two will be doing all they can to make the Dodgers regret letting them go AND largely underutilizing them during their World Series run in 2020. There’s even more legitimate motivation from the other side to stick it to LA.

Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

2. San Fran’s defense and pitching can stop the Dodgers

If we’re looking at the stats, it’s obvious that what the Giants have been doing is clearly designed to stop the Dodgers. Is that a coincidence with Farhan Zaidi, a former Dodgers top executive, running the show in San Fran?

The Giants lead MLB with a .991 fielding percentage and are fourth with a 3.25 ERA. There wasn’t much they could do about upgrading their offense since they’re stuck with Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt. Though they made some shrewd additions in Tommy La Stella and Mike Tauchman, they’re not exactly moving the needle when it comes to competing with the Dodgers’ cavalcade of MVP-caliber sluggers.

So what’s the next best way to neutralize a high-powered offense? Stack the rotation and put above-average defenders behind the pitchers.

The additions of Wood (1.75 ERA) and Anthony DeSclafani (2.03 ERA) coupled with Kevin Gausman (1.84 ERA) and Johnny Cueto (3.62 ERA) have paid massive dividends. Is it luck? Some of it could be. But right now it’s legitimate.

Additionally, the power has returned for the aforementioned hitters. Crawford (10 HRs), Belt (8 HRs), Posey (8 HRs) and Mike Yastrzemski (6 HRs) are tearing the cover off the ball. Crawford, Belt and Yastrzemski may not be hitting for average, but their on-base and slugging percentages are keeping the offense productive.

If the Giants are going to take advantage of the Dodgers in any series, it will be by putting the ball over the fence and preventing runs. At this moment, the formula seems to be working.

Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

1. This is the Giants’ last run with this core

Posey may be the only Giant to win World Series with the franchise in 2010, 2012 and 2014, but Crawford and Belt were there in ’12 and ’14. Posey has a hefty team option for 2022 that could very well get declined while Crawford and Belt are free agents.

As for the others on this team? Cueto has an expensive team option that will likely get rejected; Wood is a free agent; Gausman is a free agent; DeSclafani is a free agent; Donovan Solano is a free agent; Aaron Sanchez is a free agent; Wilmer Flores could have his option declined.

In other words, it’s more than likely the Giants will be undergoing a heavy makeover this coming offseason, which means these guys are all in with their attempt to make some sort of run in 2021.

The last time San Francisco sniffed October was back in 2016 when, for a second, it looked like they were going to recreate their even year matchup and boot the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. But that was the Cubbies’ year, and they battled in Game 4 to stop the Giants from coming back and forcing a Game 5.

Since then, it’s been nothing short of disastrous for fans in the Bay Area. But there’s renewed hope thanks to a bunch of shrewd offseason additions and veteran renaissances that have contributed to this hot start.

Though it could very well flame out and the Dodgers could blow them out of the water once they revert back to full strength, we can’t count on that until there’s definitive proof. On May 21, it’s a different story. And the Giants and Dodgers will be viewing one another as competition for the postseason.

Finally, fans can enjoy the back and forth in a regular, non-shortened campaign. Enjoy the renewed rivalry, at least for a weekend.

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