6/17 Gamethread: Giants @ Dodgers (Beat LA)

Well, well, well. After winning perhaps the most bland, boring, and normal baseball game I’ve ever watched on Friday night, the San Francisco Giants are a game away from winning their fifth straight road series. And perhaps more importantly and impressively, with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight, the Giants would pull within half a game of their rivals in the standings.

I’m in favor of it, personally.

The Giants are welcoming back lefty Alex Wood, who was reinstated from the Injured List for this game. It’s been a tough season for Wood, a former Dodger (twice over!), as he’s battled injuries, lack of command, and an inability to go deep into games due to both of those things. He’s pitched in just nine games (eight starts) this year, and is 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA, a 4.58 FIP, and 30 strikeouts to 16 walks in 30 innings. He last pitched on May 31, when he gave up six runs in 4.1 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading to the IL. He pitched three innings in a rehab game on Sunday for AAA Sacramento. He’s only pitched five innings once this year, but the Giants will certainly hope he can make it twice tonight, seeing as how they used all but one of their bullpen arms (Scott Alexander) during Friday’s 11-inning scheduled bullpen game.

If you enjoyed watching the Giants get no-hit for six innings by a player making their MLB debut last night, then I’ve got good news for you: they’re facing another guy for the first time. Righty Bobby Miller isn’t making his MLB debut, but it is his first time facing the Giants, and just the fifth game of his career. One of the very top prospects in the Dodgers system, Miller — a first-round pick in 2020 — has been electric in his first pro season. He’s 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA, a 2.19 FIP, and 23 strikeouts to seven walks in 23 innings. He’s pitched six shutout innings in each of his last two starts. I never thought I’d say this but ... can we just, like ... go back to facing Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías and stuff?

Anyway, go Giants! Enjoy the game everyone! Beat LA!!!

Game #70

Who: San Francisco Giants (37-32) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (39-31)

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California

When: 6:10 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

National broadcast: MLB Network, out of market only (available on fuboTV)

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM