The Giants and Dodgers head into this weekend's series as two of the hottest teams in the National League after going a combined 7-2 so far.
This will be the first of six series played between San Francisco and Los Angeles this year, and is also the Dodgers' first home series of the season.
The Giants' last series: San Francisco is coming off a 3-1 series win in Arizona, where they had a little bit of everything: two comeback slug-fests, a one-run loss, and a dominant pitching performance.
Overall, the offense couldn't have started the season any better, though the defense and pitching was spotty at times.
The Dodgers' last series: Los Angeles is now 4-1 after taking two of three from San Diego. After Brian Wilson blew the lead on opening night, Zack Greinke and Dan Haren shut down the Padres in the final two games, holding them to just three runs.
The Dodgers also accomplished a two-game sweep of the Diamondbacks in the Australian Series back on March 22-23rd.
Giants' probable starters: Ryan Vogelsong (4/4), Madison Bumgarner (4/5), Matt Cain (4/6)
Dodgers' probable starters: Hyun-jin Ryu (4/4), Paul Maholm (4/5), Zack Greinke (4/6)
1) Clayton Kershaw is on the DL: The Giants catch a break this time around, as Kershaw – who was slated to start Friday's home opener – will miss the entire series with worsening back issues. He is potentially looking at an extra 2-3 weeks on the DL to clear up the injury.
For the first time since 2009, someone other than Kershaw will take the mound in the Dodger's home opener.
That man will be Hyun-jin Ryu. He is off to a hot start, tossing 12 shutout innings in his first two starts thus far. He has also allowed just nine base runners while striking out 12 between those starts.
In five starts against the Giants last year, Ryu went 2-2 with 2.48 ERA.
2) Brandon Belt is locked in: There is widespread belief that Belt is going to have a breakout 2014 season, and his first four games have shown exactly that.
After starting the season with home runs in back-to-back games, Belt launched another round tripper on Thursday, giving him a share of the major league lead with three, to go along with five RBIs.
Belt has hit a home run from three different spots in the order so far – second, third and sixth – and will look to continue his hot start against three guys he hasn't seen much of.
Belt has a home run in three career at bats against Haren, but hasn't fared well against Ryu (one for seven). He has never faced Saturday's scheduled starter, Paul Maholm.
3) Cain and Bumgarner try to rebound: While the stats are a bit uglier than the true performance, Cain and Bumgarner both were a bit underwhelming in their respective starts against Arizona.
Bumgarner only lasted four innings, as he was done in by a high pitch count and some suspect defense behind him. All four runs he allowed were unearned as a result.
With the opening jitters behind him – and improved defensive performance – Bumgarner will take the mound on Saturday looking to defeat a Dodgers team that he has fared well against.
Bumgarner is 8-3 with a 2.58 ERA in 11 career starts against LA.
Cain pitched through trouble all night, allowing nine base runners and three runs (two earned) while amassing 99 pitches in just five innings.
Unlike Bumgarner, Cain has struggled against the Dodgers in his career. He will take the mound Sunday with a 5-10 lifetime record versus Los Angeles.
Still, look for both pitchers to improve upon their first starts in a more pitcher-friendly environment this time around.
Final note: The Giants will be the visiting team for the Dodgers' home opener for the third time in four seasons, going 0-2 with just one run scored during those games.
