The San Francisco Giants have been enjoying recent success in the California rivalry. The team won for the ninth time in 11 meetings on Wednesday after Pablo Sandoval hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh innings, giving the team the deciding run. Now they will rely on a bounce-back game from Madison Bumgarner to keep the momentum alive.
In his last start, Bumgarner allowed four runs on nine hits in just six innings, but he did hit a grand slam for the win. Moving past that rough start against the Dodgers should work well for the pitcher. He has won three straight against the Dodgers with a 1.70 ERA. The last time the two met he gave up two runs and struck out 10 batters over six innings. He has also won his last three starts against the team at home.
Gonzalez continues to be hot at the plant. He is batting .326 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in an 11-game hitting streak. However, he has only gone 2 for 9 in this series. Angel Pagan is also enjoying a hot streak, batting .383 and going 5 for 8 against Thursday's starter for the Dodgers, Hyun-in Ryu.
Ryu is 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA in five starts against the Giants. In his last start against the team he gave up eight runs in two innings. He managed to bounce back after that terrible start but surrendering just two hits and striking out eight over seven innings.
The Dodgers are dealing with injuries that could weigh heavy on the lineup. Hanley Ramirez was hit in the hand on Wednesday. X-rays were negative, but that the team might rest him. He is currently batting .421 with two home runs against the Giants this year.