Dodgers futility vs. Giants nearing record pace

LOS ANGELES --The Dodgers try to salvage a game against the Giants on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, which would also keep Los Angeles in first place for another two days. Wins have been hard to come by against San Francisco this season, at a pace that is nearing record lows since both teams moved west in 1958.

The clubs won't face each other for another 10 weeks, but have two series remaining down the stretch - Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at Dodger Stadium, then Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at AT&T Park, where the Dodgers are 0-6 this season.

The Giants have won nine of 11 meetings with the Dodgers this season, and while that is obviously less than ideal for Los Angeles so far it hasn't lifted the Giants above the Dodgers. Coming into play Sunday, the Dodgers (38-31) lead the Giants (38-32) by a half-game in the National League West.

It's almost as if there is more to the season than games against the Giants.

"It's something that we have to be able to change. At the end, it's all about us trying to win a division, put games together and right our own ship. Knowing that they have a good club. There are other good clubs in our division, and we have to win a lot of games to get to where we want to go," manager Don Mattingly said Saturday. "In a sense it's probably going to go through those guys, and we're going to have to find a way to get it done."

At 2-9 with eight games left against the Giants, the Dodgers will try to avoid their worst seasonal record against their chief rivals since moving to California.

In 1958, both teams' first year out west, the Giants beat the Dodgers in 16 of their 22 matchups. That was back when there were only eight teams in each league, and everyone played each other 22 times. But since 1963, the two teams have faced each other between 18-19 times in most full seasons, except for 1993-2000 when three divisions, interleague play and a balanced schedule sat their matchup frequency reduced to 12-13 times per year.

In those years of 18-19 games between the two teams, the most the Dodgers have lost to the Giants in any on season is 13 games - done in 1967, 1969, 1983 and 2003.

In Brooklyn, the Dodgers were also 6-16 against the Giants in 1937, 1912 and 1908; were 3-9 (.250) in 1897, 5-16 (.238) in 1911 and 3-11 (.214) in 1898. Their worst all-time record against the Giants was 3-19 (.136) in 1904.

Brett Anderson will try to reverse this season's trend for the Dodgers on Sunday night, with Tim Lincecum starting for the Giants on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

Game info

Time: 5:08 p.m. PT

TV: ESPN