Dodgers hope Hernandez continues mastery of Bumgarner

When Giants ace Madison Bumgarner takes the mound at Oracle Park on Wednesday, he won't be facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. But that doesn't mean the series finale in San Francisco won't feature a noteworthy duel.

While Bumgarner (1-4, 4.30 ERA) will be opposed by Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-1, 2.96), it's a matchup between pitcher and batter that could be most critical to the outcome.

When the Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez comes to the plate for the first time, he will bring with him an astounding track record against one of the best pitchers the Giants' franchise has ever known. Hernandez is 21-for-42 (.500) against Bumgarner with four home runs.

While Hernandez has become a full-time starter at second base just this season, he has started in games Bumgarner has pitched for some time now. In many ways, Hernandez's production against Bumgarner played a role in convincing the Dodgers to give him an everyday job after years in a utility role.

Hernandez's most recent success against Bumgarner came April 2 with two singles and an RBI against the left-hander in a 6-5 Dodgers victory.

The where, when and why of Hernandez's success vs. Bumgarner has taken a back seat to the how.

"A lot of it is coincidence," said Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles Times. "It seems like every time he comes to pitch against us, I'm doing pretty well at the plate at that moment and feeling pretty comfortable.

"You can't try to overanalyze it that much because he's in my division. I may face him four or five more times this year and for a few more years. ... Yeah, you know the history, but that can easily change in only one game. So just try to go out there and have good at-bats."

It's not like many others in the Dodgers' lineup have followed Hernandez's lead. Bumgarner has a 2.59 ERA lifetime against the Dodgers, much better than his career 3.06 ERA. He is 15-12 lifetime against Los Angeles, his most victories against any one team.

But this season has been a challenge. Bumgarner has given up at least four earned runs in three of his last four outings and is coming off a start Friday against the New York Yankees when he gave up five runs on 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings.

"At the end of the day, you've got to go and make pitches regardless of who's in there," Bumgarner told reporters after Friday's outing. "I can't expect more of myself than I already do. It doesn't matter who we're playing."

Ryu and Bumgarner have already squared off against each other once this season, the April 2 game. Ryu gave up two runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts over seven innings that day to Bumgarner's five runs (none earned) on five hits over six innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

Ryu is 6-6 lifetime against the Giants over 16 starts with a 2.94 ERA, and has not given up more than two earned runs in any of his five starts this year. Ryu has 33 strikeouts to just two walks over 27 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers will be without center fielder A.J. Pollock for the second consecutive game after he was put on the 10-day injured list with an infection in his right elbow.

--Field Level Media