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Giants try to gain ground in playoff races at Chavez Ravine

Sep 22, 2011 - 2:54 PM (Sports Network) - Madison Bumgarner has been a big reason why the Giants have been able to make a late push for a playoff spot. If the young left-hander can pick up a sixth straight victory in tonight's rubber match of a three-game set with the Dodgers, his club will pick up another half-game in its quest for the postseason.

Bumgarner has given up just four earned runs over his winning stretch that has spanned 34 2/3 innings. He is coming off a victory over the Rockies on Friday in which he allowed one unearned run on six hits and a walk over seven innings of work.

"I just wanted to go out there and go deep in the game," Bumgarner said.

The 22-year-old is 12-12 with a 3.21 earned run average in 31 starts this year and holds a career record of 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA against the Dodgers. That includes a win on Sept. 11, when he threw five innings of one-run ball while striking out eight.

Bumgarner won twice over the Giants' eight-game win streak that ended with Tuesday's series-opening loss. However, San Francisco got right back into the win column last night with an 8-5 win.

Rookies Justin Christian and Brett Pill each had three hits and combined for five RBI, while Ryan Vogelsong allowed four runs over five innings to claim the win. The victory allowed the Giants to pull within 3 1/2 games of the wild card-leading Braves and 5 1/2 back of the Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West.

San Francisco begins a three-game series in Arizona on Friday.

Dana Eveland entered with an 0.84 ERA against the Giants but lasted just four innings after getting tagged for five runs on six hits.

Los Angeles, which came in riding a four-game winning streak, cut into a 5-0 deficit with a four-spot in the fifth as Jamey Carroll singled in a run and Matt Kemp belted a three-run homer over the wall in left-center.

"I was upset I gave some runs back, but we're swinging the bats well and did a good job of scoring runs," Vogelsong said.

"We got back in the game, we made a run, but then they bounced back and that hurt," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

Hiroki Kuroda will try to play spoiler again for the Dodgers tonight as he snapped a two-game slide and won for the fifth time in seven starts on Friday versus Pittsburgh. The Japanese righty allowed two runs -- one earned -- on five hits and two walks over six innings, striking out seven.

Kuroda's win came five days after he was roughed up by the Giants on Sept. 11 for three runs over 4 2/3 frames of a loss. The 36-year-old is 12-16 with a 3.19 ERA on the season and 3-3 with a 3.79 ERA lifetime versus the Giants.

The Dodgers have won four of their last six over the Giants, who still lead the season series by a slim 9-8 margin.