The San Francisco Giants may be in the midst of a rebuild, but there is no love lost in their rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Longtime Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw can still expect plenty of boos Friday night as he starts the first of a three-game weekend series between the two teams at Oracle Park. Despite remaining in the midst of another losing season, the Giants were actually the last team to win a series against the Dodgers.
They took two out of three the last time the Dodgers traveled to San Francisco, from April 29-May 1.
Friday marks Kershaw’s 45th career start against the Giants, his most against any team. He owns a 22-10 record and remarkable 1.70 ERA over 323.1 career innings facing the orange and black. He has yet to face them in 2019.
The Dodgers have won each of Kershaw’s nine starts this season and 17 in a row dating back to last August.
Austin Barnes is back behind the plate after returning from a brief stint on the injured list, having recovered fully from a minor groin injury. Will Smith was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Barnes on the active roster.
Giants starter Drew Pomeranz is no stranger to the Dodgers, either, having spent time with the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres in his career. Pomeranz is 1-5 with a 3.80 ERA in 42.2 innings against the Dodgers.
He allowed two runs over five innings at Dodger Stadium on April 1, an eventual 4-2 Giants win. However, he took the loss on April 30, giving up three runs over four innings in what became a 10-3 Dodgers blowout at Oracle Park.
The Dodgers avoid seeing longtime Giants catcher Buster Posey this series. Posey landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a hamstring strain and is expected to be out until the middle of June.
This series may mark some of the final times the Dodgers see several old foes in orange and black, as the Giants’ front office, led by former Dodger general manager Farhan Zaidi, is expected to trade some veterans in the coming weeks to further their rebuild.
Though, the Dodgers will face the Giants again soon, with a four-game series at Dodger Stadium from June 17-20.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Chris Taylor
2B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Cody Bellinger
1B: David Freese
SS: Corey Seager
CF: Kiké Hernandez
C: Austin Barnes
P: Clayton Kershaw
Giants lineup:
2B: Joe Panik
1B: Brandon Belt
3B: Evan Longoria
LF: Tyler Austin
RF: Kevin Pillar
SS: Brandon Crawford
C: Aramis Garcia
CF: Steven Duggar
P: Drew Pomeranz
