Dodgers News: Gonzalez & Grandal Not Worried By Record Against Giants
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants dates back to before both teams made the move out to the West Coast. While the Dodgers largely held the upper hand from the 1970s through the 2000s, the newest decade has not been as kind to them.
In fact, the last two seasons have been treacherous for the Dodgers, as they have won just 12 games and lost 18 in the head-to-head meetings, including 2-9 against San Francisco this season heading into play Sunday. On top of that, the Giants have won three World Series in the last five years.
After scoring was the issue in the last series in San Francisco, the Dodgers have somewhat improved through the two recent games in Los Angles, scoring a combined seven runs — though five came in Friday’s contest. Additionally, the Dodgers’ pitching has largely let them down in the series with the staff allowing 15 runs thus far.
“We have to be able to execute from a pitching standpoint,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said after the Giants won a fifth consecutive game over the Dodgers. “They have gained seven games on us just from games that we’ve played,” Mattingly added.
The players have a bit of a different view of where the team stands in terms of their record against the Giants. When asked how he feels about being 2-9 against the Giants this season, Yasmani Grandal stated, “Couldn’t care less if we were 0-20 [against the Giants],” and later insinuated that to him, it’s all about where the Dodgers are in the standings.
Adrian Gonzalez certainly agrees with the catcher, as he too isn’t overly concerned with the head-to-head record. “To me that means that if we win tomorrow [Sunday] then we’ll be 1.5 games up,” he said. “Nobody looks back after winning a division to see who you beat. Once you get in the playoffs it’s about beating the team in front of you.”
After Sunday’s game the Dodgers and Giants won’t meet again until Aug. 31 for the start of another three-game set.
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Why can’t the Dodgers have players that care about winning?
Of course they don’t care because they still get their money and us fans are the only ones upset. I want Dodger players that HATE losing to the Giants just like the Giants players hate losing to us.