Dodgers @ D’backs April 4, 2018: Don’t get swept

(Via)

After dropping the first two games of the series — for the second time this season — the Dodgers look to salvage a win in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks.

Dodgers
D’backs
12:40 p.m.
Phoenix
CF
Taylor
LF
Dyson
SS
Seager
SS
Marte
RF
Puig
1B
Goldschmidt
1B
Hernandez
CF
Pollock
C
Grandal
RF
Owings
LF
Kemp
2B
Descalso
2B
Forsythe 3B Marrero
3B
Farmer
C
Mathis
P
Wood (L)
P
Corbin (L)

The Dodgers send Alex Wood to the mound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. He was phenomenal in his first outing of the season (eight shutout innings), and looks more like the guy he was in the first half of 2017 than the second-half version.

Cody Bellinger is getting his first day off of the season. It’s as good a time as any, as Patrick Corbin is on the hill and the Dodgers have an off-day tomorrow. This was originally supposed to be Yasiel Puig‘s day off, but he’s slotted in as the No. 3 hitter today. The rest of the lineup is pretty standard these days against lefties, including alleged catcher Kyle Farmer playing third base.

The D’backs are running out almost the same lineup, except Jarrod Dyson is getting his first start of the series in left field and Jeff Mathis — Monday’s hero (because of course he was) — is behind the plate.

——

And now, some news.

Because of the marathon game from Monday night, Kenta Maeda is being made available out of the bullpen today. Every time Maeda misses a start not because of injury, it’s always going to elicit this response from Daniel (and others).

It does seem a bit unnecessary at this point, but we’ll see what happens.

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another with Julio Urias. At least they didn’t wait for Urias to come back and decide to have him go through this procedure in September…

——

That’s it. It’d be quite nice if the reigning NL Champions didn’t get swept in the second series of the season.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.