The Los Angeles Dodgers will introduce rookie right-hander Landon Knack to what has become a one-sided rivalry when they visit the San Francisco Giants for the start of a three-game series Friday night.
Having failed to win a season series from the Dodgers since 2021, the Giants will attempt to put five losses in six earlier head-to-heads this season behind them as they hope to finish off a successful homestand.
While Los Angeles enjoyed the day off, San Francisco was beaten 5-3 in 10 innings by the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, denying the hosts a sweep in a series that had begun with 5-4, 5-1 and 4-3 wins.
The Giants prevailed 4-1 in their most recent meeting with the Dodgers on May 15, but only after having been swept in Los Angeles in April and dropping the first two games of the subsequent home series.
Right-hander Logan Webb (6-6, 3.16 ERA) authored the lone Giants win in the season series. He threw six innings of shutout ball in the May 15 meeting and is the scheduled starter on Friday.
That came after he took the 5-4 loss to the Dodgers on April 2, serving up five runs in 3 2/3 innings.
The 27-year-old is 4-6 with a 4.05 ERA in 14 career starts against the rivals.
Webb has gone at least six innings in each of his past nine starts. A 10th straight would be a welcome relief for the Giants’ relief corps, which had to endure two bullpen games to start the Cubs series and then 9 1/3 more innings of work the past two days.
“We’re using everybody every day. It’s a lot,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “Depending where we are in the game, we’re trying to keep guys available, trying to keep guys available for the next day. … It’s a bit of a mix-and-match every day to make sure you have enough guys to cover nine innings.”
The Dodgers flew into San Francisco on Thursday riding a four-game winning streak, having just swept three on the road against the Chicago White Sox.
Knack (1-1, 2.10) started the club’s most recent loss, with the Dodgers dropping a 3-2 game to the Los Angeles Angels in 10 innings last Friday. He threw five shutout frames, allowing two hits.
The 26-year-old has not given up more than two runs in any of his five starts. He has never faced the Giants.
Having bounced between Triple-A Oklahoma City and the parent club on multiple occasions this season, Knack said he no longer feels like just a rotation void-filler while Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are injured.
“Things have been good,” Knack said. “I feel comfortable here now. Whenever they need me, I always try to be ready.”
The Dodgers have hit seven home runs in the first six games against the Giants, including two by Mookie Betts, who will miss this series with a broken hand.
–Field Level Media