The Giants scored once during the first and sixth inning to take the opener. Pablo Sandoval's sacrifice fly and single getting Angel Pagan home accounted for San Francisco's runs. Hanley Ramirez's home run during top of the ninth was the only run of the game for Los Angeles. The Giants outhit the Dodgers 6-5 Monday evening.

LA hands the baseball over to 0-2 Joe Blanton with a 4.96 ERA. Blanton's been beaten at the 56-67 Miami Marlins and 67-55 Pittsburgh Pirates with the Dodgers shielding 12 runs during 9.1 innings. In Blanton's lone start in Los Angeles as a Dodger he conceded two runs to the 47-74 Chicago Cubs in a 7-6 LA win. Also at Dodger Stadium in July when he was with the 57-65 Philadelphia Phillies Blanton tossed eight innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 win. Versus SF Blanton's given up seven runs during 13 innings of a Philadelphia win and loss. The Giants are 35-for-136 with 18 RBIs, five Hunter Pence's and four Pagan's, against Blanton.

6-13 Tim Lincecum with a 5.45 ERA tries to shake loose a horrendous year with a win over Los Angeles in Game Two. The Dodgers won 6-2 in LA and lost 3-0 in San Francisco with Lincecum yielding four runs during 12 innings combined. The Dodgers are 62-for-256 with 23 RBIs, six Andre Ethier's and three apiece from James Loney, Ramirez, Juan Rivera and Shane Victorino, versus Lincecum who won his last two away appearances wielding three runs during 13 innings.

Prior on the road Lincecum lost five straight decisions including at Los Angeles on May 9. Lincecum was blasted for 29 runs, 28 earned, during 22.1 innings in away defeats to the Dodgers, Miami, Pittsburgh, 58-64 Seattle Mariners and 75-46 Washington Nationals. Of 12 Lincecum road outings only one has seen Lincecum pitch more than six innings. I'll take my chances on LA with a gem from Blanton.