PHOENIX Matt Cain pitched seven brilliant innings Sunday afternoon and theGiants positioned him for a victory when Pablo Sandoval hit a tiebreaking, three-run home run in the eighth. 

PHOENIX There is always plenty at stake when theGiants play the Los Angeles Dodgers, but count on extra passion today when their archrivals begin a three-game series at AT&T Park. 

The Dodgers not only are off to a 13-6 start, but they also have won 12 of their first 16 against National League West opponents during a season-opening stretch in which they will play 28 of their first 33 games within the division. 

--RHP Ramon Troncoso came up big for the Dodgers on Saturday night, when their bullpen was basically shot because Jonathan Broxton had gotten eight outs in the previous two games and Hong-Chih Kuo still can't pitch on back-to-back days. 

Rookie right-hander James McDonald and second-year lefty Clayton Kershaw suffered almost identical meltdowns in this weekend's series at Colorado. 

When Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle in theDodgers' home opener April 13, it was just a prelude to the hot April the second baseman would enjoy. 

A few minutes after the Dodgers-Colorado Rockies game ended Sunday, Coors Field took on a gloomy aura as a steady rain began to fall. 

The San Francisco Giants were two outs away from riding their first six-game winning streak in more than a year into a meeting with the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. 

With 10 losses in its last 12 games, Colorado just needs a win. 

Russell Martin took off Friday at the urging of Dodgers manager Joe Torre. 

Rusell Martin matched a career high with four RBIs to help James McDonald earn his first major league win, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-5 on Saturday night. 

Brad Ausmus signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason knowing that starts were going to be rare. 

--RHP Jason Schmidt, who still hasn't pitched in a major-league game since undergoing major shoulder surgery almost two years ago, is tentatively scheduled to begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment Tuesday at high Class A Inland Empire. 

Although the Dodgers are the clear class of the National League West with a lineup that is even more productive than it was predicted to be and a rotation, bullpen and bench that have all come through for the most part, one concern is injuries. 

Struggling lefty Hong-Chih Kuo finally returned to the mound Friday night at Colorado, and although manager Joe Torre had hoped to find a meaningless, middle-innings situation to ease Kuo back in, Torre ultimately didn't have that luxury.