Tim Lincecum (3-2, 2.43 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (21-18) go up against Brett Anderson (2-1, 3.50 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (24-14) in the second of a three-game division series at AT&T Park. The Giants won the last game 2-0 and San Francisco leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 10:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 20 and will air on SportsNet LA and NBC Bay.
Lincecum is 10-8 with a 3.45 ERA against the Dodgers in his career, and is up against a solid Los Angeles offense that’s hitting .263 on the year. Brandon Crawford (.283, 20 Rs, 6 HRs, 25 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. In his pitching opportunities against the Giants, Anderson is 0-3 with a 6.10 ERA. He meets a strong San Francisco offense that’s batting .269. Adrian Gonzalez (.355, 29 Rs, 9 HRs, 32 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
San Francisco is favored by a small -107 margin in its matchup against Los Angeles. The matchup currently has a seven-run Over/Under (O/U). When playing as the favorite, the Giants have a 10-10 record and overall money line at +103. They have disappointing records of 3-8 as the favorite and 11-14 SU within their division. The most recent 10-game stretch for the Giants has gone great. Over that span, San Francisco is averaging 5.7 runs per game, well over their season average of 3.8. As for the pitching staff, the Giants don’t give up many hits to opposing batters at AT&T Park, ranking third in the NL with only 8.1 hits allowed per home game.
Moving on to the away team, the Dodgers come into this game with a solid win percentage of .667 when playing as the underdog (2-1) and an overall money line of +439. Over the last 10 games, they were unbeaten as the underdog with a perfect 1-0 record and 7-3 SU. The Dodgers seem to play worse against their division opponents. In divisional matchups, Los Angeles has averaged 4.5 runs per game, compared to 5.0 for the duration of the season. The Dodgers are known for their bats, hitting a league-leading 138 extra base hits. The Dodgers average 4.0 walks per game, making them the most disciplined team in the NL. Shifting to the pitching staff, they have the fourth-lowest ERA in the NL at 3.25. They have a WHIP of 1.15 on the year, good for fourth in the league.
The Giants had the upper hand against the Dodgers in their previous seven games this season, earning a 5-2 record. The Giants will take on a left-hander (Anderson) in this game. They have done very well against left-handed starting pitchers this season (6-3), especially at home where they have a 4-1 record. Taking the hill against the Dodgers will be the right-hander Lincecum. Right-handed starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport a 22-10 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
San Francisco won its last game in a shutout, its sixth of the season. Los Angeles has been shut out two times this season.
When the Giants play into extra innings, they have a 3-1 record. The Dodgers are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Dodgers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Giants have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Giants are 17-4. The Dodgers have an 18-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th, San Francisco is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 147 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at fourth with 186.
Los Angeles tops the league in walks with 155 this season. San Francisco ranks in the top half at 15th with 121.
When the Giants hit at least one home run, they are 12-8, well-matched with the Dodgers who are 20-8 when hitting one or more homers.
