The Los Angeles Dodgers have become one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning 19 of their last 25 games. That recent surge has brought them back into contention in the National League West.
Now, the Dodgers find themselves just two games behind the first place Arizona Diamondbacks. They have passed up the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies in the standings in recent weeks.
The Giants come to Dodger Stadium hoping to regain some ground on their rivals in a three-game weekend series starting Friday. San Francisco looks to get back on track after suffering a four-game sweep in Miami and send Derek Holland to the mound in the opener.
Holland is 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA, 4.39 FIP and 1.29 WHIP over 67.1 innings in his first season with the Giants. He has also issued 57 strikeouts and 27 walks in 2018.
He is 0-2 with 13 runs allowed over 13.1 innings in three career starts against the Dodgers. Two of those starts have come this year, including a 5-0 Dodgers win in Chavez Ravine in his first start of the season. Holland only lasted 3.1 innings in an April 27 no-decision at AT&T Park, having allowed four earned runs.
The Dodgers counter with the de facto ace of their current pitching staff, Ross Stripling. Since injuries forced him into the starting rotation on May 6, Stripling is 5-0 with a 1.33 ERA over 40.2 innings. He has given the Dodgers a much-needed steadying presence as several starters remain sidelined.
Stripling also boasts a fantastic 53-4 strikeout to walk ratio in that span, something he takes pride in. In his last outing Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, Stripling allowed two runs over 6.2 innings in a 7-2 Dodgers win.
Stripling has thrown 4.2 innings against the Giants this season, all coming out of the bullpen. He has yet to allow a run against them in 2018.
The Dodgers carry a red-hot offense into the series, helped by a resurgent Cody Bellinger. The young first baseman carries a .370/.528/.963 slash line and four home runs over his past eight games. He gets a game off on Friday though against the southpaw.
Yasiel Puig, meanwhile, has stayed productive with a .395 batting average and 1.216 OPS in June. The Dodgers have hit 29 home runs since June 1, giving them an NL-best 89 on the season.
The Giants will be without third baseman Evan Longoria for an extended period of time as he suffered a fracture in his hand after being hit by a pitch.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
CF: Kiké Hernández
3B: Justin Turner
LF: Matt Kemp
1B: Max Muncy
C: Yasmani Grandal
RF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Logan Forsythe
P: Ross Stripling
Giants lineup:
2B: Joe Panik
3B: Alen Hanson
RF: Andrew McCutchen
SS: Brandon Crawford
1B: Pablo Sandoval
C: Nick Hundley
LF: Mac Williamson
CF: Austin Jackson
P: Derek Holland
