We’re in for a treat on Thursday, as we get a pitching matchup between two MVPs from the previous year. Reigning NL MVP/Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants. Thursday’s match will wrap up a three-game series in AT&T Park; in what most fans consider as the best rivalry out in the West.
The Giants are looking not only for their sixth straight win, but also for a chance to preserve their unbeaten run against the Dodgers at home this season. Los Angeles, meanwhile, will try to salvage a game from the series and increase its lead atop the NL West standings.
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[sc:MLBArticles ]Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants Preview
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco
When: Thursday, May 21, 2015
Line: Los Angeles Dodgers (-125) vs. San Francisco Giants (+115); total: 6.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers (24-15) are doing exceptionally well this season, but only as long as they’re not facing their archenemy from The Bay. The Dodgers are 2-6 against the San Francisco Giants this season, and are on the verge of being swept by San Francisco for the second time this campaign.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Luckily for the Dodgers, they have Clayton Kershaw starting the final game of the series. Kershaw’s ERA of 4.24 this season is far from his numbers during his 2014 MVP campaign, but he knows how to keep the Giants in check. The Giants are hitting a mere .186 against Kershaw, with Buster Posey being the only Giant to have more than two RBIs against him.
The two straight shutouts in this series against San Francisco should have the Dodgers racing for the panic button. They remain the second-best team in the National League in runs scored, but have only hit .196 in this series against the Giants.
And if there’s one Dodger who needs to regain his offensive power, it would have to be Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez still leads all Dodgers in batting average, hits and RBIs this season, but has gone 1-of-7 with one walk in this series at AT&T Park. His slump could very well continue, as he is only hitting .114 in 35 career at-bats against San Francisco’s starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
Juan Uribe has the best shot at getting the offense going for the Dodgers. Uribe is 11-for-36 lifetime against Bumgarner with one homer and three RBIs.
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Betting on the San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants (22-18) are finally playing like the defending World Series Champions that they are. And in the past week, they are winning games by having a much more potent offense. The Giants outscored their opponents 36-12 in their current five-game winning streak, and they have their surging batters in the lineup to thank for that.
Buster Posey extended his hitting streak to 12 games with three hits and a two-run homer on Wednesday. Brandon Crawford also had three hits, and batted in a run. Crawford now leads all shortstops in the majors with 26 RBIs. And while Hunter Pence has been quiet so far in this series against the Dodgers, the Giants are undefeated in the four games since he returned from injury.
Standing in the way of the Giants though is Clayton Kershaw. The trio of Posey, Crawford and Pence are batting a combined .132 lifetime against the Cy Young Award winner. In fact, Buster Posey is the only Giant on the entire roster that has managed to hit a home run against Kershaw, and that only happened twice.
As the Giants hitters find a way to crack the Kershaw code, San Francisco can still lean on MadBum to turn Thursday’s game into a pitching duel instead. Madison Bumgarner has a 1.88 ERA with 15 strikeouts in his two starts this season against the Dodgers.
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco (+115) completes the sweep with a narrow 3-2 victory.
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