What a difference a year makes. Last year the Dodgers were flying high during the first series. This year, the Giants are the ones flying high. If anything the Dodgers pitching looks really bad, and the Giants pitching looks really good. This could go real bad for the Dodgers unless they find a way to fix their leaky bullpen. (Hint to Joe Torre…George Sherrill just doesn’t seem to have it right now.)

Here are the pitching matches and my predictions:

Friday, April 16  – 7:20 pm

Todd Wellemeyer, RHP (0-1, 5.68)  vs. Vicente Padilla, RHP (0-1, 11.42)

My pick -   The Dodgers.  Both pitchers are bad.  The Dodgers will have the home crowd to cheer them on.

Saturday, April 17 – 1:10 pm

Tim Lincecum, RHP (2-0, 1.29)  vs. Charlie Haeger, RHP (0-0, 3.86)

My pick – The Giants.  I can’t not choose Tim Lincecum and Haeger is pitching well, but you never know with a knucleballer.

Sunday, April 18 – 1:10 pm

Barry Zito, LHP (2-0, 2.25) vs. To be announced

My pick – The Giants.  If the Dodgers don’t even know who is pitching, how can I root for them.  Zito is hot right now, so hopefully the Dodgers can knock him around a little.

Well, honestly, the way the Dodgers bullpen is playing right now, if we only lose one against a hot Giants team, it won’t be that surprising.  Who knows though, my predictions weren’t very accurate last year, so maybe the Dodgers will surprise people.  Here’s a link to a full breakdown of the matchups from Dodgers.com (click here).

Either way, if the Giants do end up sweeping…it could be a long week of people rubbing it in next week.  As I write this, Casey Blake just drove in the tying run against the D-backs in the 9th.  Maybe there is hope for this weekend.  Man I love that guy.

Go Blue.