Giant Task Is Here Again

The San Francisco Giants and the Angels made things difficult for the Dodgers last week, and now, here they come again.

Being swept by the Giants and losing a series to the Angels would be hard for them under any circumstances, but the Dodgers said those setbacks were especially frustrating after a strong performance against the New York Yankees.

After the Dodgers had taken two of three from the Yankees in the teams’ first regular-season meeting at Dodger Stadium, they were 1-6 against the Giants and Angels.

“They’re our two biggest rivals, and they really took it to us,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “It definitely left a bad taste in our mouths.”

The Dodgers hope for better results in consecutive rematches beginning tonight in the opener of a three-game series against San Francisco at Dodger Stadium. The Angels then play host to the Dodgers in three weekend games at Angel Stadium as the teams complete interleague play.

The Dodgers want to give the Giants and Angels something to feel bad about.

“Obviously, they both got the best of us last series,” leadoff batter Dave Roberts said. “You start the week feeling pretty good about how you’re playing, and then you struggle to just win a game. I don’t think anyone in this clubhouse expected that.”

After sweeping the Baltimore Orioles from June 15-17, the Dodgers twice defeated the Yankees amid a playoff-type environment at Chavez Ravine. Owner Frank McCourt reveled in the moment when his team won the final game, greeting starter Jose Lima with a hug and a high-five and shouting, “Now we’re rocking!”

The Dodgers then lost their next six games.

The Giants outscored the Dodgers, 26-12, while overtaking them for first place in the National League West. The Dodgers arrived in San Francisco with a 1 1/2-game lead and left trailing the Giants by 2 1/2 games.

“We’ve got to play good baseball,” Roberts said. “But we can’t get too overly hyped. We can’t let that happen.”

There were bench-clearing incidents in the last two games of the series, and All-Star closer Eric Gagne and San Francisco right fielder Michael Tucker were ejected from the last game after Tucker took exception to a high-and-tight fastball from Gagne and the teams rushed the field.

“It’s always intense,” Gagne said of facing the Giants. “It will be very intense again, but you just have to find a way to win.

“They beat our [butts] four days in a row. We have to find a way to give it back to them now.”

The Dodgers feel similarly about the Angels.

Anaheim pounded Los Angeles in the series opener on Friday, 13-0, with a season-high 22 hits. The loss dropped the Dodgers into third place for the first time since the second day of the season.

The Angels continued their extended batting practice in the second game, rallying for a 7-5 victory behind Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero. The losing streak ended Sunday, 10-5, against struggling Angel starter Bartolo Colon.

“We scored some runs, we just couldn’t hold these guys,” first baseman Shawn Green said. “They have such a good lineup, and Vladimir and Garret Anderson were killing the ball all series.”

The Dodgers trail first-place San Francisco by 3 1/2 games and San Diego by one game. After the incidents in the last series, umpires will be on alert from the opening pitch tonight.

“I don’t hear anybody talking about preparation for fights,” said Giant Manager Felipe Alou, whose team is 5-5 against the Dodgers. “You always prepare for something, but we don’t want to start anything. We’re not looking for any confrontations. We’re looking to win ballgames. But you’ve got to be ready.

“Our guys are going to pitch their games. There is no prearranged thing. Every spring training, I tell our pitchers, ‘There is no way we’re going to hit the opposing batter because they had a big series against us or he hit a home run.’ No way. The guys know that.”

The Giants also know what to expect at Dodger Stadium.

“I think our fans and their fans enjoy disliking each other,” said Giant closer Matt Herges, a former Dodger setup man. “Any time you have something that fires them up, it’s going to be a little more emotional.

“It’s going to be a little more rowdy down there. It’s rowdy enough as it is.”

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Dodgers vs. West

How the Dodgers have fared against NL West opponents this season:

*--* Opponent Home Road Total Arizona 2-1 2-1 4-2 Colorado 2-1 1-2 3-3 San Diego 2-1 2-1 4-2 San Francisco 2-1 3-4 5-5

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