(SportsNetwork.com) – For the second time in less than a week, two of
baseball’s best left-handers square off on the mound.
Los Angeles Dodgers ace and three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton
Kershaw goes against San Francisco Giants southpaw and 2014 World Series MVP
Madison Bumgarner in the second test of a three-game set at Chavez Ravine.
Kershaw, the reigning MVP of the Senior Circuit, struck out nine batters and
walked one over six innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 loss by the Bay last
Wednesday. He did not record a decision and is 1-1 with a 4.07 earned run
average in four starts this season.
LA’s prized pitcher has enjoyed success throughout his career against the
Giants, going 14-5 with a 1.48 ERA in 27 games (26 starts).
Bumgarner recorded a no-decision in that victory over the Dodgers and was
touched for a pair of runs across 6 1/3 innings with six K’s and two walks. He
is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in four starts this season and 11-5 with a 2.56 ERA in
18 career meetings (17 starts) with Los Angeles.
Los Angeles took the opener of this series with Monday’s 8-3 victory, as
Justin Turner hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and Joc Pederson
finished 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
“We made (Giants starter Tim Lincecum) get the ball up this time. He got three
double plays in the first four innings in San Francisco,” Dodgers manager Don
Mattingly said in reference to last week’s matchup.
Carlos Frias earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief of starter
Brett Anderson, who gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers have won three of four games and improved to 9-1 at home. They
were swept in San Francisco last week and have lost four of the past seven
meetings between the NL West clubs.
San Francisco had won five of seven games prior to Monday’s loss. Lincecum was
reached for four runs and eight hits in four innings to absorb the loss.
“I was missing in the middle of the plate too much,” Lincecum said.
Norichika Aoki, Joe Panik and Angel Pagan had an RBI apiece in defeat.
