Los Angeles @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 17, 2016 ) San Francisco 1, LA Dodgers 3

The Dodgers and Giants renew their rivalry with a three-game series beginning Friday in San Francisco after a alteration to the rotation allowed Los Angeles to use Clayton Kershaw in the opener. The Dodgers' ace left-hander, who owns the lowest ERA in baseball at 1.46, is 17-7 with a 1.60 ERA in 33 games (32 starts) versus the Giants - 9-3, 1.23 in 16 appearances (15 starts) at AT&T Park - while San Francisco counters with Johnny Cueto, who is thriving in his first season with the Giants.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said he was not manipulating the rotation when he decided to give right-hander Kenta Maeda an extra day last week to rest a sore hand, which also moved Kershaw back. “It’s all about accumulating wins,'' Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis told reporters. "I don’t think it matters if Clayton pitches against the Giants or (Wednesday) against the (Colorado) Rockies. Right now, it’s a race to 90 to 95 wins, and you want to accumulate them as fast as you can.” First-place San Francisco leads Los Angeles by four games in the National League West after splitting two contests with Boston while the Dodgers dropped two of three to the Rockies this week. The Giants are 4-5 in their last nine games - batting .193 during that span - since a 15-2 stretch vaulted them into control of the NL West.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), NBC Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (8-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Giants RH Johnny Cueto (9-1, 2.16)

Kershaw is 6-0 with a 0.81 ERA in his last seven starts after yielding three hits and striking out a season-low four in six innings of a 4-0 victory over Atlanta on Saturday. The 28-year-old Texan has 109 strikeouts against six walks with a 0.65 WHIP and .168 batting average against this season. Brandon Belt is 3-for-43 with 23 strikeouts and Buster Posey is batting .220 in 82 at-bats versus Kershaw, who is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA in two starts against San Francisco this season.

Cueto is 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his last eight starts after allowing an unearned run and walking a season-high five in six innings of a 5-1 victory in St. Louis on June 3. The 30-year-old Dominican pitches on six days rest and is 4-9 with a 3.01 ERA in 34 starts with at least that much time in between turns. Cueto is 4-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 starts versus Los Angeles - 2-0, 4.40 in two outings this season - and has the most trouble with Chase Utley (10-for-26, one home run).

WALK-OFFS

1. Posey could return to the lineup Friday after missing three games because of nerve irritation in his right thumb, an injury that Giants broadcaster and former major league pitcher Mike Krukow said is the type that "definitely will linger this whole year.''

2. SS Corey Seager leads the Dodgers in home runs (14), RBIs (35) and batting average (.283) with his homer and RBI totals second among all rookies in baseball to Colorado SS Trevor Story.

3. The Giants have won four of the seven meetings this season, and after Sunday they do not meet again until Aug. 23.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 2, Giants 1