© Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
SAN FRANCISCO — It took the San Francisco Giants 14 innings to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. Today, they’re hoping all it will take is enough offense against Clayton Kershaw and a strong start from Ty Blach to improve to 5-3.
It’s been either rags or riches for Blach in his first two starts so far this season. After pitching a five-inning shutout against the Dodgers on Opening Day, the Seattle Mariners tagged Blach for six runs and 10 hits over 4.1 innings in the home opener.
Yet, Blach can take solace his past success against the Dodgers.
In eight games played against the Dodgers in his career, including five starts, Blach is 3-2 with a 1.96 ERA. When he’s faced them at AT&T Park, Blach is 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA through 23.1 innings of work.
Specifically in his previous start against the Dodgers this season, Yasmani Grandal, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, and surprisingly Clayton Kershaw gave Blach the most trouble.
Kershaw boasted two of Los Angeles’ three hits against him while Grandal, who also coaxed a walk, had the other. Puig and Kemp both walked, but were held hitless by Blach.
Nonetheless, the Giants are faced with a tough task in going to bat against Kershaw. Not only does he have great lifetime numbers against them — 22-10 with a 1.60 ERA over 303.1 innings — but Kershaw has excelled in the pitcher-friendly confines of AT&T Park.
In San Francisco, Kershaw is 13-4 with a 1.30 ERA in 152 innings of work.
However, the Dodgers have had trouble supplying their ace with an adequate amount of run support. Through his first two starts, Kershaw’s ERA is 2.25, but he’s 0-2, despite allowing no more than two runs in each of his outings.
If the Giants hope to bump the Dodgers to a five-game losing streak, they’ll need make whatever offense they can get off Kershaw enough to support Blach.
