Giants, Dodgers familiar foes playing 10th time Sunday

SAN FRANCISCO -- A four-game series that's already featured an unscheduled double-header, a reliever who didn't throw a pitch, and an infielder who did, comes to a close Sunday when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants meet for the 10th time already this season.

Fittingly, the two teams that split their two games earlier series this month split a double-header on Saturday, with the Dodgers responding to a tongue-lashing by manager Dave Roberts by smashing the Giants 15-6 before San Francisco rebounded behind Johnny Cueto to win the nightcap 8-3.

The double-header was required when the Giants had their first home rainout in 10 years on what was supposed to be the opener of a three-game series against the Dodgers earlier this month.

Left-hander Ty Blach (1-3, 4.31), who already has faced the Dodgers twice this season, will get the ball for the Giants in the series finale, with San Francisco having a chance to take three of four.

The Giants opened the series with a 6-4 win on Friday night, catching a break when Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez stumbled while throwing a pitch. He never let go of the ball, resulting in a balk that allowed what turned out to be the Giants' winning run to score.

The loss, the Dodgers' third straight in a week that began with a home series against the lowly Miami Marlins, did not sit well with Roberts, who made no secret of his feelings afterward.

"You can talk about how hard our guys are playing, but it definitely comes down to performance and execution," he insisted. "We're too good of a ballclub for things like that to happen."

The Dodgers responded by scoring three runs in each of the first two innings in Saturday's afternoon contest, building a lead so big, Giants manager Bruce Bochy felt compelled to call upon Pablo Sandoval to pitch the ninth inning.

The veteran skipper had never previously called upon a position player to pitch, but Sandoval avoided any further embarrassment by retiring the Dodgers in order, displaying a surprisingly effective curve ball.

"You don't learn that," Sandoval attempted to claim afterward. "You're born with it."

Blach beat Clayton Kershaw 1-0 on Opening Day in Los Angeles, throwing five shutout innings. But he hasn't won since, including a no-decision when he faced the Dodgers in a rematch with Kershaw 10 days later in San Francisco, allowing one run in six innings in a 2-1 loss.

The 27-year-old has faced the Dodgers nine times in his career, including six times as a starter. He's gone 3-2 with a 1.90 ERA.

The Dodgers will go for the series split with right-hander Kenta Maeda (1-3, 4.31), who has been brilliant in his career against the Giants at home, and equally awful on the road.

Maeda beat the Giants 5-0 with five shutout innings in Los Angeles in the third game of the season, giving the Dodgers their first win of the year.

He's 4-1 overall with a 4.40 ERA in seven games, including six starts, against the Giants, but 0-1 with a 12.15 ERA in three games (two starts) in San Francisco.

The 30-year-old has made one start in San Francisco in each of the last two seasons, allowing a total of nine runs and 13 hits in just 5 2/3 innings in those games.