MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

With a Vintage Kershaw performance, the Dodgers beat the Giants in their first series against each other this season.

The Weekend in Review
Headline for the Weekend: Dodgers take down latest NL West Challenger

Results: After being shut down by Logan Webb in game 1, the Dodgers scored 18 runs over the next two games to take two of three from the Giants. 

Pitching Analysis: Yoshinobu Yamamoto was squeezed out of a solid start, but Casey Schmitt’s third inning grand slam was a huge blow. Schmitt also got to Kiké Hernandez, who was this close to another scoreless appearance in game 2. Other than that, the Dodgers staff handled the Giants well.

Clayton Kershaw led the group, throwing 7 shutout innings with five strikeouts, the 11th time he’s thrown seven shutout innings against the Giants. Dustin May pitched six solid innings for a quality start. Michael Kopech and Anthony Vesia each delivered a perfect inning, while Anthony Banda cleaned up the 11-5 win and Justin Wrobleski delivered four-plus innings that kept the bullpen arms fresh and kept the Dodgers in game one. Tanner Scott slammed the door on the Giants by striking out the side to end game 3 and the series. 
  
Hitting Analysis: Teoscar Hernandez broke out of his slump with two home runs in the first two games, although he did go 0 for 3 on Sunday. Shohei Ohtani blasted the 249 and 250th home runs of his career. Andy Pages only had two hits, but with solid at-bats he ended up with six RBI over the weekend. Freddie Freeman (1 for 10), Mookie Betts (2 for 9), and Will Smith (1 for 7) struggled, but Max Muncy’s strong second game helped get the Dodgers back on track. 

Takeaway for the Weekend: The Dodgers are still the top team in the West, but with San Francisco’s trade of Rafael Devers, the Giants improved one of their biggest weaknesses.

Burning Question (And Attempted Answer): The Dodgers took 4 of 6 from their closest division competitors (and are now 11-5 against the NL West), so now will the Dodgers now run away with the NL West? With SF’s reinforcements and SD’s overall solid performance against the Dodgers, we actually expect the West to stay close through the All Star Break and trade deadline. When the Dodgers’ reinforcements (injured pitchers and trade additions) arrive, the gap will widen. 

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: The Fight for the NL West is not over, as the Padres visit Dodger Stadium for the first time this season. The Dodgers will send a legendary trio to the mound this series, with Ohtani starting as an opener for game 1, Yamamoto pitching game 3, and Kershaw pitching game 4. The Padres will counter with two pitchers the Dodgers saw in San Diego (Dylan Cease and Randy Vasquez), and two they haven’t (Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek).

Analysis: This should be another intense series (for fans) as the Dodgers look to increase their division lead. The Padres lost two of three in Arizona over the weekend, including blowing a 4 run, 9th inning to lose 8-7 on Saturday. They’ve now lost 4 for their last 6 and 7 of their last 11. 

What to Look For: It’s really about the pitchers for the Dodgers, and it’ll start with the first pitch of Game 1: Ohtani will make his Dodgers pitching debut. It’ll also be important to see how Yamamoto bounces back, and, of course, there’s Kershaw: coming off his most dominant performance in two-plus years, he’s 12 strikeouts away from three thousand.