Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers (99-57) have six games left to play in the 2017 regular season. They’re one shy of the 100-win mark, something the team hasn’t accomplished since 1974. Tonight, they’ll try to pull that off in the first game of their final home series before the playoffs, with the Padres (70-86) as their guests.
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Padres
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Dodgers
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7:10 p.m.
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Los Angeles
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2B
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Asuaje |
CF
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Taylor | |
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SS
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Aybar |
SS
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Seager | |
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1B
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Myers |
RF
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Hernández | |
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3B
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Solarte |
LF
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Bellinger | |
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LF
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Spangenberg |
3B
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Forsythe | |
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RF
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Renfroe |
2B
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Barnes | |
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CF
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Jankowski | C | Grandal | |
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C
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Hedges |
1B
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Segedin | |
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P
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Wood (L) |
P
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Darvish (R) |
Yu Darvish (3.96 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 3.27 DRA) has now had two outings of zero earned runs in a row. He’ll be facing the Padres for the third time this year and for his second time as a Dodger. While he was still with Texas, he delivered a six-inning, three-run effort against the Friars. He struggled a bit more when he started against them for the Dodgers earlier this month, lasting just three innings and allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks. That was his worst outing with Los Angeles so far.
Veteran southpaw Travis Wood (6.55 ERA, 5.81 FIP, 7.83 DRA) began the season with Kansas City as part of a six-player trade ahead of the deadline. Wood worked as both a starter and as a reliever for the Royals, with all but three of his 28 appearances coming out of the bullpen. However, he’s worked exclusively as a starter for San Diego. Only three of Wood’s 10 starts for the Padres have been of the quality variety, and besides those, he’s never pitched beyond the fifth inning. As a Padre, he’s allowed 38 runs (33 earned) in 47.2 IP, and he’s given up a whopping 14 home runs (after having given up just four in his 41.2 IP with the Royals).
Wood has pitched against the Dodgers 11 times in his career dating back to 2011. The most recent six times were in relief. Today, he’ll face a lineup pretty stacked with righties, save for Cody Bellinger (manning left field today) and Corey Seager. Rob Segedin is starting at first base for the third time this season. Austin Barnes gets a start at second base. Justin Turner and Yasiel Puig are both not starting, yet again.
——
As it turns out, Puig was going to start today, but then:
Yasiel Puig was late to the field today, Dave Roberts said.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) September 25, 2017
Dave Roberts on Yasiel Puig's benching: "You show up late for work, there's going to be consequences."
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) September 25, 2017
Dave Roberts remains upset with Yasiel Puig. He has not decided how long Puig will be benched.
The timing, I would say, is not ideal.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) September 25, 2017
Sigh.
As for why Turner’s out, his thumb is still sore. In regard to his availability today:
Justin Turner is available to pinch-hit but Dave Roberts wants to “stay away” from him.
— JT (@ThatDamnJosh_) September 25, 2017
Dave Roberts had this to say on Seager, who hasn’t quite looked like himself at the plate recently:
Corey Seager's slump is due to a "mechanical thing" unrelated to his right elbow injury, Dave Roberts said.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) September 25, 2017
It would be pretty nice if that were true and easily fixable. We’ll keep an eye on that.
Looking ahead, expect to see a couple of left-handed vets in the lineup tomorrow:
Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier will get starts tomorrow
— JT (@ThatDamnJosh_) September 25, 2017
Hyun-Jin Ryu might make one more start before the season ends:
Ryu played catch, forearm swelling is down, might start this weekend in Colorado.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) September 25, 2017
It’s good to have as many options available as possible (but yikes to making an ailing pitcher start at Coors).
