Giants at Dodgers
Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw face off for the second time in less than a week on Tuesday as the San Francisco Giants continue a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are seeking their ninth straight home victory. The injury bug hit the Dodgers again on Monday with news that starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy will miss the rest of the season due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The first-place Dodgers are hoping for a more favorable diagnosis for left fielder Carl Crawford, who exited Monday’s 8-3 victory with tightness in his right side. If Crawford lands on the disabled list, the Dodgers could turn to utilityman Alex Guerrero, who is hitting .500 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 22 at-bats. The Giants tried to jumpstart their struggling offense Monday by starting Andrew Susac at catcher and Buster Posey at first base, and manager Bruce Bochy indicated that regular first baseman Brandon Belt could see time in left field at some point. Belt is batting .233 with four RBI, but he’s hit safely in five of his last six games.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (1-1, 4.63 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (1-1, 4.07)
Bumgarner matched Kershaw’s effort last Wednesday, when he received a
no-decision after allowing two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. The
25-year-old is 11-5 with a 2.56 ERA in 18 career games (17 starts)
against Los Angeles, including 7-3 with a 2.19 ERA in 11 games (10
starts) at Dodger Stadium. Andre Ethier is 3-for-24 against Bumgarner,
who has allowed three home runs in his last two outings.
Kershaw has 21 strikeouts in his last two games but hasn’t tossed seven full innings in any of his first four outings. Last season’s NL MVP and Cy Young award winner is 14-5 with a 1.48 ERA in 27 career games (26 starts) against San Francisco, including last Wednesday’s outing when he held the Giants to two runs on three hits in six frames. Brandon Crawford is 1-for-18 with seven strikeouts against Kershaw, who has recorded four career shutouts against the Giants.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Dodgers’ eight-game home winning streak is their longest since opening the 2009 season with 13 consecutive victories.
2. Bochy said OF Hunter Pence (forearm) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week.
3. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said RHP Scott Baker will take McCarthy’s spot in the rotation and start either Friday or Saturday against Arizona.