Robbie Ray will attempt to match former San Francisco Giants greats Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito in a career achievement Sunday afternoon when he takes the mound against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.
The California rivals have split the first two meetings of a three-game set that is important in each team's pursuit of the playoffs and postseason positioning.
Saturday's 13-7 win allowed the Dodgers (83-65) to counter a San Diego Padres win over the Colorado Rockies and retain a 2 1/2-game lead atop the National League West.
Meanwhile, the loss was a costly one for the Giants (75-73), who had a chance to take over the third wild-card spot in the NL and move past the New York Mets, who had lost to the Texas Rangers earlier on Saturday.
Especially with a foe as potent as the Dodgers in town, San Francisco manager Bob Melvin hopes his team can keep its focus on the field -- rather than on the scoreboard.
"What's in our control is just trying to win a baseball game," Melvin told reporters this week. "There's a lot of teams bunched up. A couple behind us, or whatever. A couple ahead of us. It's just trying to win as many baseball games as we can. That's what we've been talking about more so than who, where and when."
Both playoff races figure to be impacted -- one way or another -- in Sunday's series finale. The Dodgers will counter Ray (11-6, 3.32) with right-hander Tyler Glasnow (2-3, 3.21).
Ray is plenty familiar with the Dodgers, against whom he has made 23 lifetime starts and gone 9-6 with a 3.32 ERA. The nine wins are his most against any opponent.
A 10th win would be noteworthy in that the 33-year-old left-hander would join some Giants pitching hierarchy should he achieve it. Bumgarner (16) was the last Giant to retire with double-digit wins over the Dodgers. Lincecum (11) and Zito (10) also topped the mark before hanging up their cleats a decade ago.
Ray rebounded from three consecutive subpar efforts with five innings of two-run, three-hit ball in a 5-3 home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
One night earlier, Glasnow lost a potential no-hitter because of a pitch count against the Rockies, pulled after seven innings. Ryan Ritter's leadoff double in the ninth prevented a combined no-hit effort in the Dodgers' 3-1 win. Glasnow struck out 11 on his 105-pitch night.
Still working his way into top form after a 2 1/2-month layoff due to a painful right shoulder, the 32-year-old insisted he understood the big picture when told to take a shower six outs from potential history.
"If I was healthy every single season, it'd maybe be a different story. But I respect the decision," he told reporters after the game. "They wanted to take me out, and we ended up winning, so we're good."
Glasnow has gone 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA in six career outings (five starts) against the Giants.
--Field Level Media
