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Giants-Dodgers Preview

Apr 16, 2010 - 7:44 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

San Francisco (7-2) at Los Angeles (4-5), 10:10 p.m. EDT

San Francisco Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand said he can't recall the team's first road trip last season. With no victories during that six-game stretch, that's probably a good thing.

Opening play against NL West foes and a six-game Southern California trip on Friday night, the division-leading Giants look for their first visit to Dodger Stadium this season to be a little more memorable.

San Francisco opened 2009 at home by taking two of three against Milwaukee, but were then swept in San Diego and Los Angeles. San Francisco was outscored 23-7, and its starters went 0-2 with a 9.20 ERA during the three-game set at Dodger Stadium.

"I honestly don't remember what happened (on that trip)," Rowand told the Giants' official Web site Thursday. "Apparently it didn't go well. So hopefully we can change that up a little bit."

Off to its best start since going 13-1 in 2003, San Francisco (7-2) is averaging 5.7 runs and batting .297. Bengie Molina, Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe and Pablo Sandoval are all hitting .342 or better.

"It's a more solid lineup than we had last year one through eight," said Rowand, batting .412 in the last seven games. "There's no easy at-bats for the pitcher."

The Giants' pitching has been among the best in the NL with a 2.75 ERA, and Todd Wellemeyer (0-1, 5.68 ERA) looks to continue that stretch of quality efforts after struggling in his San Francisco debut.

Signed to a minor league deal in February, the 31-year-old right-hander went 6 1/3 innings Saturday, giving up four runs and seven hits in a 7-2 loss to Atlanta.

Wellemeyer has no record with a 4.26 ERA in six career appearances and one start against the Dodgers.

Coming off its first series win of the season, Los Angeles (4-5) will counter with Vicente Padilla (0-1, 11.42), who is hoping that a start at home will help improve his results.

But with Los Angeles' bullpen posting a 5.81 ERA and giving up a home run in each of the last three games, the veteran right-hander might have to go further than the 4 1/3 innings he's lasted in his first two outings.

Padilla is 1-0 with a 2.78 ERA in four outings - including the playoffs - since signing with Los Angeles in August. The only one of those starts he allowed more than one run was an 8-4 loss to the Giants on Sept. 18 when he yielded four in five innings.

Padilla is 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in eight career starts versus San Francisco.

Aubrey Huff, who hit fourth regular-season inside-the-park homer at AT&T Park in Wednesday's 6-0 win over Pittsburgh, is 8 for 12 with a home run and seven RBIs lifetime versus Padilla. The first baseman has yet to face the Dodgers during his 11-year career.

Matt Kemp's two-run homer in the seventh inning of Los Angeles' 6-5, 10-inning victory over Arizona on Thursday was his fourth in the last five games.

"Everyone asked me all spring who's the best player in the league, and I told them it's Matt Kemp," Andre Ethier said after knocking in the game-winning run.

Manny Ramirez went 1 for 3 with a ninth-inning RBI, and is batting .421 while hitting safely in five straight games. He batted .370 in 14 games against the Giants last season, hitting two homers and driving in eight.

Los Angeles won 11 of 18 against San Francisco in 2009, including six of nine at Dodger Stadium.