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MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY: GIANTS AT SAN FRANCISCO THURSDAY THROUGH AUG. 16: DIAMONDBACKS AT ARIZONA

By Kevin Baxter
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MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY: GIANTS AT SAN FRANCISCO

THURSDAY THROUGH AUG. 16: DIAMONDBACKS AT ARIZONA

In the 2006 draft the Dodgers, picking seventh in the first round, passed on a skinny, hard-throwing right-hander from the University of Washington, leaving Tim Lincecum for the Giants. One Cy Young Award, two All-Star selections and 37 big league wins later, Lincecum has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. (The guy the Dodgers did take, left-hander Clayton Kershaw, has done pretty well too.) On Wednesday the Dodgers will get another look at Lincecum, who leads the majors in strikeouts (198) and ERA (2.20) and is tied for second in wins (12), making him one of the main reasons why the Giants are contending for their first playoff berth in seven seasons . Not that the Dodgers are likely to complain much. After struggling against the NL East and Central over the past month, the series in San Francisco marks the start of a streak that will see the Dodgers play 22 of their next 32 games in the West, where, at 30-12, they have the best mark of any team in the majors within their own division.

-- Kevin Baxter

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Kevin Baxter

Kevin Baxter writes about soccer and hockey for the Los Angeles Times. He has covered seven World Cups, four Olympic Games, six World Series and a Super Bowl and has contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning series at The Times and Miami Herald. An essay he wrote in fifth grade was voted best in the class. He has a cool dog.

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