Series Preview: Dodgers open four-game rivalry set against Giants

Still, there are signs the lineup may be close to breaking back open.

Freddie Freeman finally looked like himself again Friday night against Atlanta, launching his 100th home run as a Dodger after recently adjusting his batting stance to stay through the baseball longer. The timing of Freeman rediscovering his power matters, especially with Mookie Betts expected to return for Monday's opener after missing more than a month with a right oblique strain.

Betts’ return does more than stabilize the top of the lineup. It allows the Dodgers to lengthen the order again while easing pressure on players like Andy Pages and Hyeseong Kim to carry offensive stretches every night. Pages, meanwhile, continues emerging as one of the Dodgers’ most important breakout stories this season. The young outfielder already has nine home runs and continues producing impact swings even during quieter stretches for the rest of the offense.

Max Muncy has quietly become one of the club’s steadiest run producers as well. His 10 home runs lead the team during a stretch where several stars have cooled off, and even his outs lately have carried authority. Sunday’s near game-tying grand slam against Atlanta would have completely changed the game if not for a spectacular catch from Eli White at the wall.

The Dodgers remain without several key bullpen arms, now add starter Tyler Glasnow to that list with back spasms. However, Justin Wrobleski’s bizarre 8 2/3-inning outing Sunday may have quietly saved the bullpen heading into this series. Despite allowing seven earned runs, Wrobleski gave the Dodgers desperately needed length after the staff had been stretched heavily throughout the Atlanta series.

Meanwhile, Blake Snell’s long-awaited return also changes the complexion of the rotation moving forward. His debut against Atlanta was uneven, allowing five runs in three innings, but the Dodgers were far more encouraged by his health and swing-and-miss stuff than the final line itself. The organization remains focused on building Snell toward October rather than chasing immediate sharpness in May.

This series also presents another important opportunity for Roki Sasaki. The rookie right-hander enters Monday with a 5.97 ERA and has struggled to consistently finish hitters once ahead in counts, but the raw stuff remains electric. The Dodgers continue viewing these outings as part of his long-term adjustment process against major league lineups.

Giants (16-24, 4th in NL West)

The Giants arrive in Los Angeles still searching for consistency on both sides of the ball, though Sunday’s dramatic extra-innings win over Pittsburgh may have finally given their lineup some life.

San Francisco’s offense has spent much of the season stuck between approaches. At times, the Giants grind out quality at-bats and force opposing pitchers deep into counts. Other nights, the lineup becomes overly aggressive and struggles to create traffic entirely. Saturday’s loss to Pittsburgh perfectly captured those frustrations when the Giants went nearly four full games without drawing a walk before Heliot Ramos finally snapped the streak.

But there are suddenly signs of momentum from key bats.

Rafael Devers appears to be finding his swing after a brutal opening month. The slugger is hitting .333 in May with a .667 slugging percentage and has started handling fastballs far better after pitchers relentlessly challenged him early this season. Heliot Ramos also broke out of his recent power drought Sunday with a 437-foot homer, while Matt Chapman finally rediscovered some extra-base impact after weeks of quieter production.

Willy Adames may still be the biggest X-factor in this lineup. His numbers overall remain inconsistent, but his late-game quality at-bats Sunday helped fuel San Francisco’s comeback win and reminded everyone why the Giants invested heavily in him this offseason.

The bigger concern remains the pitching staff behind Robbie Ray. Logan Webb’s absence has left San Francisco without its normal stabilizing ace presence, while the bullpen continues searching for dependable late-inning structure. The Giants allowed 13 runs Saturday against Pittsburgh in one of their ugliest bullpen performances of the year before somehow piecing together enough outs Sunday to salvage the series.

Against a Dodgers lineup potentially welcoming back Betts while also waiting for Ohtani to fully erupt again, that volatility becomes dangerous quickly.

Pitching Probables

Monday, May 11: Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) vs. Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29 ERA)

Tuesday, May 12: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2, 3.09 ERA) vs. Adrian Houser (0-0, 8.10 ERA)

Wednesday, May 13: Shohei Ohtani (2-2, 0.97 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (3-4, 2.76 ERA)

Thursday, May 14: Emmet Sheehan (2-1, 4.79 ERA) vs. Landen Roupp (5-3, 3.09 ERA)

Injury Report

Dodgers

Day-to-day: none

10-day IL: none

15-day IL: RHP Brock Stewart, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Ben Casparius, RHP Brusdar Graterol

60-day IL: RHP Edwin Díaz, INF/OF Tommy Edman, INF/OF Kiké Hernández, RHP Landon Knack, RHP Gavin Stone, RHP Jake Cousins, RHP Bobby Miller, RHP Evan Phillips

Giants

Day-to-day: none

10-day IL: C Daniel Susac, OF Harrison Bader

15-day IL: RHP Logan Webb, LHP Erik Miller

60-day IL: LHP Reiver Sanmartin, OF Jared Oliva, RHP Jason Foley, RHP José Buttó, RHP Hayden Birdsong, RHP Randy Rodríguez, RHP Rowan Wick