LA Dodgers vs. SF Giants: Key to the series

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are in the middle of a close NL West race. It has been so tight because the Dodgers and Giants have struggled open a large lead in the division and maintain it. As the season reaches closer to an end, each game becomes that much more important, and teams will have to depend upon their best players to lead the way.

Tomorrow is the start of a 3-game series between the Giants and Dodgers in San Francisco and it appears to have come at the perfect time for both teams. No lead is ever safe, especially at this point in the season, but if the Giants are able to sweep the Dodgers, they will put themselves in a position to stay ahead in the NL West and build an even larger lead. On the flip side, if the Dodgers sweep this series then it continues to be a dead heat in the NL West standings.

Nonetheless, this series is important for both teams, and the Dodgers will have to depend upon Matt Kemp to be a major contributor. Kemp has been in a slump recently and in order for the Dodgers to feel confident and have a successful series against the Giants, Kemp has to be at his best. In the previous 4-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Matt Kemp went 2 for 16, had 7 strikeouts, and no RBI. He has to have a major impact in this series and it needs to start Game 1.

This series will be an early preview as to which team will be the winner of the NL West. At the end of this series each team will have made a statement, whether it be that the Giants may be on their way to a NL West title, or it could be that the Dodgers have evened up the NL West race. The one player to watch this series it has to be Matt Kemp for the Dodgers. He has to rebound from his current slump and what better time to do that then against your archrival the San Francisco Giants.