Los Angeles @ San Francisco preview
AT&T Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 26, 2013 ) San Francisco 2, LA Dodgers 4
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their nine-game road trip when they begin a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Los Angeles has gotten itself back into the race in the crowded National League West by winning 10 of its last 12 contests. The Dodgers had their four-game winning streak snapped Thursday, when they dropped a 9-5 decision to the Colorado Rockies.
San Francisco returns to action after the finale of its four-game series in Cincinnati was rained out Thursday. The Giants finished 1-8 on what turned out to be a nine-game road trip and have lost 11 of their last 13 overall. They struggled offensively during their trek, scoring a total of 18 runs while allowing 35.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), KNTV (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3, 2.83 ERA) vs. Giants RH Matt Cain (5-4, 4.29)
Ryu's winless streak reached five starts Saturday even though he allowed only two runs over seven innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 26-year-old South Korean has gone nine straight outings without yielding more than three runs and has been touched for four or more only twice in 16 turns this season. Ryu is 0-2 in three starts against San Francisco this year despite giving up just one earned run on two occasions.
Cain deserved much better than a no-decision at Colorado on Saturday, when he allowed one run and three hits in eight innings while retiring the final 20 batters he faced. The 28-year-old has posted just one victory in his last six starts despite yielding three or fewer runs five times in that span. Cain improved to 5-8 lifetime against the Dodgers when he held Los Angeles to one run and five hits over 7 1/3 innings on May 5.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Giants registered a total of seven hits during their three-game series with Cincinnati.
2. San Francisco has scored fewer than three runs in 10 of its last 13 games.
3. Los Angeles SS Hanley Ramirez enters with a 15-game hitting streak that he extended with a ninth-inning single Thursday.
PREDICTION: Dodgers 4, Giants 1