Dodgers at Giants
Cody Bellinger told reporters following his team's last victory that he isn't "trying to do too much," but all he is doing lately is carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers and making a mockery of National League pitching. The 2018 NL Championship Series MVP sets his sights on becoming the first major-league player ever with 15 home runs before May 1 when the Dodgers begin a three-game series in San Francisco against the Giants on Monday.
Bellinger finished 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs in Sunday's 7-6 comeback victory as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, joining Albert Pujols (2006), Alex Rodriguez (2007) and Christian Yelich (2019) as the only players to hit 14 home runs before the end of April. The former NL Rookie of the Year has already shattered several records during his torrid start, including the club mark for most hits in March/April (44) and the major-league standard for total bases (94) before May 1. While the Dodgers have won four straight to remain atop the NL West in large part to Bellinger's big bat, the Giants have lost three in a row and are in last place in the division after getting swept by the New York Yankees over the weekend. Although San Francisco dropped two of three in Los Angeles during the archrivals' first series of the season at the beginning of the month, each game was decided by two runs or fewer.
TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Kenta Maeda (3-2, 5.20 ERA) vs. Giants RH Jeff Samardzija (2-1, 3.00)
Maeda is coming off his worst outing of the season, surrendering six runs on seven hits and three walks across a season-low four innings in Tuesday's loss at the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old is 1-2 with a 7.53 ERA in three road turns (2-0, 2.70 in two home starts) and has given up 11 runs in 9 1/3 frames over his last two such outings. Joe Panik (6-for-14) and Yangervis Solarte (5-for-14) have each homered versus Maeda, who is 0-2 with an 8.16 ERA in six career appearances (three starts) at Oracle Park.
Samardzija has lasted past the sixth inning only once in five tries this season, but he performed adequately nonetheless, allowing three runs or fewer four times. The one-time All-Star won for the second time in three trips to the mound Tuesday in Toronto, limiting the Blue Jays to two runs across 5 1/3 frames. Bellinger (1-for-5), Max Muncy (1-for-5) and Joc Pederson (2-for-4) each have one home run versus Samardzija, who is 1-4 with a 4.06 ERA in eight career appearances (six starts) against the Dodgers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Bellinger, who is tied with Yelich for the major-league lead with 14 homers, is also pacing the majors with a .427 average and 36 RBIs.
2. San Francisco C Buster Posey, who leads the team with a .247 average, is batting .360 over his last seven contests after hitting .196 over his first 17 games.
3. Los Angeles just completed a 20-game stretch against the NL Central (11-9) after beginning the season by winning eight of 10 versus division rivals.