The middle game of the Dodgers-Giants series could bring more offense to the table, which on the surface sounds counter-intuitive with Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner on the mound.
In the last 63 years, the only Dodgers pitcher to beat the Giants five times in one season was Clayton Kershaw, who did so in 2011. In four starts so far this season against San Francisco, Greinke is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA, with 31 strikeouts and four walks.
Bumgarner is 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA against the Dodgers this season, and is 7-2 with a 1.87 ERA in nine career starts at Dodger Stadium.
Greinke (127) ranks 10th in the NL in ERA+ while Bumgarner (119) ranks 13th. Using xFIP- (which goes in the other direction; the lower number the better), Greinke (74) is third in the NL with Bumgarner (80) fourth. If you prefer SIERA, they rank third (Greinke, 2.88) and fourth (Bumgarner, 2.97) there as well.
While those two will surely make it tough on opposing hitters, the increased offense we will see is likely to come when they are at the plate.
Via ask from @StrandThatRISP Which pitchers hit the ball hard most often this season? pic.twitter.com/FrikQMCP93
— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) September 23, 2014
Greinke won the National League Silver Slugger Award in 2013 as the best hitting pitcher. He hit .328/.409/.379 with four RBI and seven walks. He hasn't done quite as well this season, hitting .196/.262/.339 with five doubles, a home run and five walks.
Greinke's .602 OPS ranks third among pitchers with at least 20 plate appearances this season. Both Travis Wood and Bumgarner have a .723 OPS.
Bumgarner was a career .138/.185/.192 hitter with two career home runs in 265 plate appearances before this season, but this season he has been a force at the plate. Bumgarner, who pitches left-handed but hits right-handed, has three home runs and 13 RBI.
He has two grand slams this season, and his 13 RBI are the most by a pitcher since Daniel Hudson drove in 14 runs in 2011.
Bumgarner has been worth 1.1 Wins Above Replacement in batting alone, using the Baseball-Reference version, while Greinke is at 0.7 WAR.
Bumgarner this season is 2-for-9 (.222) against the Dodgers with a run scored. Greinke is 4-for-9 (.444) with a pair of walks against the Giants this season, including a home run and a double in the Dodgers' 17-0 win in San Francisco on Sep. 13.
So maybe there will be more offense on Tuesday night, after all.
Game info
Time: 7:10 p.m. PT
TV: SportsNet LA, KDOC, ESPN