The Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to extend their five-game winning streak, host the San Francisco Giants for the first time since May 3 in the opener of a three-game series.
Entering play on Friday, the Dodgers boast the best record in baseball at 71-31 and lead the last-place Giants in the National League West by a whopping 31.5 games.
Making his 16th start of the season (18th appearance overall) is Alex Wood, who looks to rebound from an uncharacteristic performance last Friday. In 4.2 innings against his former Atlanta Braves team, the southpaw allowed nine hits and nine runs (seven earned) with just four strikeouts to four walks.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts felt Wood carried a little extra emotion and motivation against his former club, which in turn impacted performance.
The rough outing saw Wood’s ERA increase over 60 points, but his numbers as a whole are still among the best in the game. In 91.1 innings this season, the 26-year-old has pitched to a 2.17 ERA, 2.44 FIP and 0.97 WHIP with a career-best 10.3 strikeouts per nine.
Over his career against the Giants, Wood owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 26.2 innings with 31 strikeouts to nine walks.
On the mound for the Giants is fellow left-hander Matt Moore, who’s in the midst of arguably his worst season since debuting in 2011. In 111.1 innings (20 starts), Moore has posted a 5.82 ERA, 4.66 FIP and 1.62 WHIP — allowing well over a home run per game (1.4 home runs per nine innings).
Moore fared somewhat well in his last start against the San Diego Padres, yielding four runs in six innings while striking out seven. Against the Dodgers in his career, the left-hander owns a 5.54 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 39 innings with 31 strikeouts and 21 walks.
Chris Taylor has been on a roll over the last two weeks, batting .500/.520/.854 with five doubles, three triples and two home runs in 50 plate appearances. He’s once again leading off for the Dodgers.
Buster Posey has been one of the few bright spots in what’s been a miserable season for the Giants. In his last 50 plate appearances, he’s hitting .357/.460/.500 with three doubles and a homer.
The Dodgers placed Grant Dayton on the 10-day disabled list with neck stiffness and recalled Kyle Farmer with Triple-A Oklahoma City. That now gives the team a four-man bench after three straight games with just three bench players.
The Giants recalled Jae-Gyun Hwang from Triple-A Sacramento and placed Chris Stratton on the 10-day DL.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
2B: Logan Forsythe
C: Austin Barnes
RF: Kiké Hernandez
CF: Joc Pederson
P: Alex Wood
Giants lineup:
CF: Denard Span
2B: Joe Panik
RF: Hunter Pence
1B: Buster Posey
SS: Brandon Crawford
3B: Jae-Gyun Hwang
C: Nick Hundley
LF: Gorkys Hernandez
P: Matt Moore
