Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers open a three-game set against the rival Giants on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, which is Jackie Robinson Day. Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner will battle it out for the second time this season.
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Giants
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Dodgers
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7:10 p.m. PT
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Los Angeles
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LF
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Pagan
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LF
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Hernandez
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2B
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Panik
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RF
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Puig
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C
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Posey
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1B
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Gonzalez
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RF
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Pence
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3B
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Turner
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1B
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Belt |
2B
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Kendrick
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SS
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Duffy
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CF
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Thompson
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C
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Tomlinson
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C |
Ellis
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P
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Bumgarner
(L)
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SS
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Culberson
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CF
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Blanco
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P
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Kershaw
(L)
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On the 69th anniversary of Jackie Robinson‘s historic debut in MLB, every player will be adorned in a No. 42 jersey. A special ceremony will preclude the first pitch of the game and will include Rachel and Sharon Robinson, the wife and daughter of Jackie Robinson.
Doug Padilla wrote about Jackie Robinson’s impact on Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ first African-American manager, for ESPN.com.
“Any time you put on that No. 42 jersey you feel a little bit more empowered and your chest sticks out a little and there is a little sense of pride,” Roberts said. “I might even go with the high pants.”
Jackie fact: His first Major League hit was a bunt, and he went on to lead the league with 28 sacrifice hits during his rookie season in 1947. Of the 46 bunts Robinson laid down in 1947, all except four resulted in either a base hit or a sacrifice.
The Dodgers have two successful sacrifice bunts on the season.
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The Dodgers hope to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day with a win against the Giants who took 3 out of 4 games in the first series of the season between the division rivals at AT&T Park last week.
Kershaw (1-0, 1.20) pitched eight innings in his last start and allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and a walk on 91 pitches. He has historically pitched dominantly against the Giants and has a 16-7 record with a 1.57 ERA in 32 career games (31 starts) versus San Francisco. Buster Posey and Bumgarner have both hit two home runs against him.
Bumgarner (1-0, 3.27) wasn’t involved in the decision in the extra-inning 3-2 loss to the Dodgers on April 9. He allowed one run on six hits with eight strikeouts and a walk on 102 pitches through six innings. Bumgarner may not have been at his best, but he did rile up Kershaw by hitting a homerun against the fellow southpaw.
Bumgarner has routinely found success against the Dodgers over his career. He is 13-7 with a 2.41 ERA in 23 games (22 starts).
Enrique Hernandez, who came up with a key 2-run double in the seventh inning of Thursday’s 5-2 win over the D-backs, is hitting .538 with seven hits in 13 at-bats against Bumgarner. Hernandez is leading off and playing left field.
Yasiel Puig, batting second and off to a hot start to the season, leads the team in almost all offensive categories including runs (eight), walks (five), batting average (.405), OBP (.500), slugging (.622), OPS (1.122) and is tied with Adrian Gonzalez with 15 hits.
Dustin assumed Joc Pederson would be sitting out against Bumgarner, and his assumption was correct. Trayce Thompson gets another start in center field and bats sixth. Justin Turner is back in the lineup at third base, and blondie Howie Kendrick returns to second base. Right-handed hitter Charlie Culberson takes the place of Corey Seager at shortstop.
The Dodgers also made a roster move on Friday. They reinstated Chris Hatcher from the paternity list and optioned Austin Barnes to Triple-A Oklahoma City. There now 13 pitchers on the active roster.
The polite thing for the Giants to do on Jackie Robinson Day is to commit exactly 42 errors and lose to the Dodgers on a sac bunt.
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