The Dodgers and Giants are finally going to meet for the first time in 2021, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The Giants sit at the top in the National League West with a 28-16 record, which is the best around MLB. The Dodgers currently find themselves in third at 26-18, which is two games back. The Dodgers will go on the road to face San Francisco at Oracle Park.
The first matchup of this 3-game series will be one phenomenal pitcher’s duel. Not only are both pitchers on a new team, but both were teammates for the Reds in 2019 and consider themselves friends. The Giants will go with the lefty Alex Wood, who is off to a superstar level start. Wood is 5-0 this season, with a 1.75 ERA over 36 innings. He’s made 6 starts, has 35 strike outs, and sports a 0.944 WHIP. Overall the opposition is hitting .197 against Wood with just 2 home runs. Strangely enough Wood has been reverse splits this season, left-handed batters are hitting .300 against him, while right-handed bats have a .165 batting average. Wood has anticipated this matchup by saying the following:
It will be a big test for us. They’re a great ballclub, I’m very much looking forward to this weekend. You know the Giants and Dodgers will always have a competitive series. I’m excited to see the other side of the rivalry, for sure. It’ll be a blast.”
The Giants signed Alex Wood in the offseason to a one year deal, which for now looks like a bargain at $3 million. Wood credited Giants president of operations Farhan Zaidi as one of the main reasons he chose to move to San Francisco. Looking in from the outside it also appears Alex Wood is having the time of his life early on with the Giants.
Once you get that thing rolling downhill, everybody wants to one-up or match what the guy did the night before. It’s been a lot of fun, man. We’ve got a good group, we bounce ideas off each other all the time.”
The Dodgers will very likely be delivering Alex Wood his World Series ring during this series. Wood was a hero in Game 6 of the World Series against the Rays that helped the Dodgers clinch their 2020 championship. He also displayed heroics during the 2017 World Series on the road in Houston where he was electric during that Game 4 start. Alex Wood was with the Dodgers from 2015-2018 & 2020. He was 31-21 with a 3.54 ERA and made the All-Star team in 2017.
Dodgers have Trevor Bauer lined up for the first game in this series. Growing up a Dodger fan, you have to imagine that Bauer is excited to make his Dodgers-Giants rivalry debut. Bauer is currently 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA with 77 strike outs over 57.1 innings.
𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓. 𝐀. 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐏.
Join us tonight when @BauerOutage & the #Dodgers open a weekend series with Alex Wood & the #SFGiants. pic.twitter.com/tGxqY7a6LH— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 21, 2021
Author: Kevin Klein
Twitter: @Klein25
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photo credit: USA Today
