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The Dodgers return home on Monday night for a seven-game homestand, beginning with three games against the rival Giants. The Dodgers have lost both series against the Giants in 2013, dropping five of six games, with their only win coming on the greatest individual performance of Clayton Kershaw's career, on opening day.
Kershaw starts the series finale, but here's a look at the schedule and pitching matchups for all three games at Dodger Stadium.
Monday, 7:10 p.m. (KCAL, ESPN2)
San Francisco has taken an aggressive approach against Hyun-jin Ryu in his two starts against them this season, and the left-hander has allowed seven runs on 19 hits in 12⅓ innings in a pair of losses. Madison Bumgarner was the victor in one of those Ryu starts, on Apr. 2 with eight scoreless innings. Bumgarner enters Monday with three straight wins and a 2.37 ERA in his last three outings.
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. (KCAL, MLB Network)
Since returning from the disabled list Stephen Fife has a 2.35 ERA, 22 strikeouts and seven walks in 23 innings in four starts, and in nine of his 10 career starts has allowed two runs or less. Chad Gaudin is scheduled to start for San Francisco on Tuesday, but he is questionable after getting struck in the right forearm on Thursday. Since joining the rotation at the beginning of June, Gaudin has a 3.38 ERA in four starts with 13 strikeouts and four walks in 21⅓ innings.
If Gaudin can't go on Tuesday, left-handed rookie Mike Kickham will be recalled from Triple-A Fresno to start, per Andrew Owens of MLB.com. Kickham made one start for the Giants this season and it damn near killed him, allowing four runs in 2⅓ innings to Oakland on May 28. Kickham, 24, is 3-5 with a 4.81 ERA in 14 starts in Triple-A this season with 69 strikeouts and 33 walks in 78⅔ innings.
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)
Clayton Kershaw has notoriously owned the Giants in his career, at 9-4 with a 1.28 ERA in 19 games, including 18 starts, the lowest ERA against the Giants of anyone in history with at least 50 innings. This season Kershaw has allowed one run in 16 innings to San Francisco, so naturally the Dodgers and Giants have split those two games. Kershaw against the Giants has allowed two runs or less in each of his last 10 starts dating back to the 2011 All-Star break, with a 1.03 ERA during that span with 79 strikeouts and 12 unintentional walks.
Tim Lincecum has a 2.92 ERA in June, but the Giants have lost six of his last seven starts. In each of Lincecum's last two starts against the Dodgers - Apr. 3 at Dodger Stadium and Sep. 7, 2012 at AT&T Park - he has walked a career-high seven, but also allowed just two runs in each game, both Giants wins.
Kershaw famously beat Lincecum in four one-run games in 2011, but the two haven't faced off since.