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Stults, Dodgers eyeing NL West lead

Jul 6, 2008 - 1:05 PM LA Dodgers (42-45) at San Francisco (39-49) 4:05 pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Eric Stults hopes he can shake off his roughest outing of the season and propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to the top of the lackluster National League West when they face the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

Coming off his first career shutout, Stults (2-1, 2.21 ERA) gave up four runs and five hits with three walks and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings during Monday's 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros.

The 28-year-old Stults, who is making his fourth start of the season and 11th career, has done an adequate job replacing Brad Penny in the Dodgers' rotation - winning his first two starts.

Giants starter Matt Cain (5-6, 4.13) is coming off his most successful start of the campaign. The 23-year-old righthander pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts in Tuesday's 2-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs.

Cain will also be looking to build off the momentum of Saturday's win. Bengie Molina's two-run double capped

a four-run seventh as San Francisco recorded a 5-2 triumph.

It snapped the Dodgers' four-game winning streak and prevented them from taking the division lead. Despite the sub-500 record, Los Angeles enters Sunday's contest trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks (43-45) by one-half game.