So, those Los Angeles Dodgers are looking pretty good. Who would’ve guessed that? The Dodgers are one of the hottest teams in MLB with their sizzling bats leading them to a seven-game winning streak, including six straight at home. The Dodgers go back on the road on Tuesday, but they won’t need to travel very far as they visit their struggling state rival San Francisco Giants.
The defending champion Giants are experiencing another World Series hangover as they’ve been disastrous out of the gate. Can they snap out of their slump against the dominating Dodgers? Read on for our preview of this series opener.
California’s other teams, the Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Angels also meet up in Anaheim on Tuesday. Check out our preview of that AL West clash here.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants Preview
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco
When: Tuesday, April 21, 10:05 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup is looking mighty scary right now. The Dodgers have scored 44 runs over their last seven games, which have led to seven consecutive wins. They’ve been pretty consistent too, scoring at least six runs in six of those seven games.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Their lineup is so good that the game’s hottest hitter, Adrian Gonzalez (.469 with five homers and 14 RBIs), could afford to have his streak of hitting safely in the first 11 games snapped but still come away with a 7-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. They were also without Yasiel Puig, who’s missed four of the last five games with a persistent hamstring injury.
The Dodgers currently lead the NL with 17 homers, while their 56 extra-base hits and .885 OPS are tops in MLB.
Starter Brett Anderson must be feeling pretty confident of stepping onto the mound and expecting that type of run support from his potent lineup. He should feel even more secure in pitching at AT&T Park, where the Dodgers have gone 6-1 and have outscored the Giants, 40-16, in their last seven visits.
The Dodgers faced Giants starter Tim Lincecum three times last season, all at home. They pounded the former Cy Young winner for 11 runs in just 7.1 innings in their last two meetings, which resulted in the Dodgers winning by a total of 24-1.
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Betting on the San Francisco Giants
To say the San Francisco Giants are in a slump would be a gross understatement. The defending World Series champs have been flat out terrible so far this season. They’re currently 4-10 – rock-bottom in the NL West – and have gone 1-9 in their last 10 games.
The Giants can’t seem to do anything well at the moment. Their lineup isn’t producing any runs; they’re third from bottom in all of baseball with just 2.64 runs per game. Buster Posey (.229/.321/.354) has yet to get going this season, while Casey McGehee (.194/.265/.323) has been a substandard replacement for Pablo Sandoval’s bat.
The lack of run support certainly hasn’t helped take the pressure off their struggling starters. The rotation has a 4.26 ERA this season, and their .273 opponent’s batting average is the 10th-worst in MLB.
Former Cy Young Tim Lincecum has been one of the relatively steadier parts of the rotation thus far, though. He went seven scoreless innings in his first start of the season, but he gave up three runs on six hits in five innings to take the loss against the Rockies in his latest start.
Writer’s Prediction
The Dodgers bats get to Lincecum as they defeat the Giants, 5-2, for their eighth straight win.
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