Los Angeles Dodgers: Hosting the rival Giants on national TV

A day after playing on National TV on Father’s Day, the Los Angeles Dodgers again will get a primetime West Coast ESPN slot against their bitter rivals.

The Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Chicago Cubs on Father’s Day was an incredible one. With the series on the line and the game being played on national TV, it had more drama and flair to it than a regular contest.

Granted, ESPN’s hot mics made the game seem that much more appealing as every time someone made contact is sounded like a boom of thunder. It just had that big-game feel and the Dodgers absolutely delivered.

Russell Martin‘s eighth-inning single and Dino Ebel’s aggressive third base coaching was the deciding factor in a 3-2 game that almost got away from Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning. As a result, the Dodgers won the season series four games to three against the Chicago Cubs.

The Dodgers will once again be in primetime on Monday with a seven o’clock game against the San Francisco Giants. There likely won’t be as many viewers, as it is a weekday and will take place at 10 p.m. Eastern, but it will capture the eyes of every baseball fan on the west coast.

Although the Dodgers are 16.5 games better than the Giants, the Giants always play the Dodgers tough and make the Boys in Blue earn every single win against them. These games are usually low-scoring as well.

Kenta Maeda is going for the Dodgers and former top prospect Tyler Beede is going for the Giants. As part of our Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak series, here is who we think can get at least one base hit on Monday.

Jason’s pick (Current streak: 1): Justin Turner

Tyler Beede has never actually pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the only player on the Dodgers with an at-bat against the young right-hander is A.J. Pollock, who is currently on the injured list.

Thus, I have to go with my gut and my gut is telling me that Justin Turner is going to have a big night for the Boys in Blue. After a slow start to the year, Turner has been back to his usual self (minus the power numbers) and is a reliable source of base hits for the Dodgers.

Turner went hitless in Sunday’s game against the Cubs, which statistically indicates that he should get at least one base hit in Monday’s game. If not, it could be the start of a slump for JT.

I am confident that won’t be the case as Turner will work the strike zone against the young Beede and eventually poke something into the gap for a single.