Joey Gallo makes his Los Angeles Dodgers debut as they look to sweep the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in a Thursday afternoon matchup. Doing so would be their first four-game series sweep in San Francisco since July 1-4, 1977.
The Dodgers have won seven in a row against the Giants and last rattled off an eight-game winning streak in their head-to-head meetings from Aug. 19, 2006 to April 8, 2007. A win on Thursday would match the Los Angeles franchise record for longest winning streak against the Giants.
The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers hold the franchise record with 10 consecutive wins over the New York Giants.
Although Gallo was struggling through his first full season with the Yankees, he and the Dodgers are optimistic a change in scenery and chance to reset will pay dividends. Gallo is also excited to be reunited with Hanser Alberto and Andrew Heaney, and get to play with Cody Bellinger and Gavin Lux.
Gallo and the rest of the Dodgers lineup look to provide run support for Clayton Kershaw, who makes his 15th start of the season and faces the Giants for a third time this year. Kershaw enters 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.
He last started against the Giants on July 24, allowing four runs over just 4.1 innings pitched.
“We played great today, our whole team,” Kershaw said after making his 200th career start at Dodger Stadium. “Bullpen did great, didn’t give up any runs at all for that whole time. Offense did unbelievable today, really the whole series. So just really a great team win by everybody except me.
“So it was really cool to see. Sweeping the Giants is not easy, let alone a four-game sweep. So for all the guys to play that well for the bullpen to pick me up and do as well as they did was really cool to see.”
Kershaw’s 1.58 career ERA at AT&T Park/Oracle Park is his third-best in an opposing stadium (minimum five starts). He has a lifetime 1.44 ERA in five starts at Marlins Park/loanDepot Park, and 1.57 ERA over eight outings at Miller Park.
The Giants counter with Jakob Junis, who held the Dodgers to two runs over five innings to earn a win on June 10.
Overall this season, the right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Junis has allowed one earned run or fewer in his past two starts but failed to log more than 4.1 innings in either outing.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Trea Turner
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
LF: Joey Gallo
2B: Gavin Lux
CF: Cody Bellinger
DH: James Outman
Giants lineup
LF: Austin Slater
2B: Wilmer Flores
RF: Mike Yastrzemski
DH: Yermín Mercedes
3B: J.D. Davis
1B: David Villar
C: Austin Wynns
CF: Bryce Johnson
SS: Dixon Machado
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