Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
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Dodgers
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Blue Jays
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10:07 a.m. PT
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Toronto
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2B
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Utley |
LF
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Saunders | |
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SS
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Seager |
3B
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Donaldson | |
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3B
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Turner |
RF
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Bautista | |
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DH
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Gonzalez |
DH
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Encarnacion | |
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C
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Grandal |
1B
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Smoak | |
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1B
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Kendrick |
SS
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Tulowitzki | |
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CF
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Pederson | CF | Pillar | |
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LF
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Crawford |
C
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Martin | |
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RF
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Thompson
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2B
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Goins
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The Dodgers close out their road trip with a rubber match against the Blue Jays (and, in fact, the rubber match of the trip). Today, Ross Stripling gets the ball. Stripling was swapped in the rotation with Kershaw, so he’s pitching on over a week’s rest. He has faded a little since his stellar debut against the Giants, but the balance of his 2016 numbers are still pretty good. His line from last week (4-2/3 innings, 5 runs, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks) doesn’t really reflect that he pitched pretty well for most of the start. Of course, these Blue Jays are a much more difficult test than the Padres.
Opposing the Dodgers is right-handed starter Marco Estrada. Estrada is off to quite a good start so far in 2016, boasting a 2.64 ERA and a 3.27 FIP while pitching in a bandbox in the American League. Estrada is not a power pitcher by any means – his fastball averages less than 90 – but he has revived his career by throwing a lot more changeups. So far this season he’s throwing the pitch, which averages in the upper 70s, almost 30% of the time. He also occasionally throws a cutter and a curve.
The balance of this morning’s news isn’t as interesting as yesterday’s. Yasiel Puig is getting another day off, Trayce Thompson replacing him in right. Adrian Gonzalez gets a day off from fielding, and Howie Kendrick is replacing him at first base. Julio Urias won’t be up tomorrow (which is good, because putting him in the bullpen is a bad idea). Casey Fien will be, and we’ll have a post analyzing his abilities tomorrow.
In injury news, Mike Bolsinger successfully completed his first rehab start yesterday and pitched four innings. He allowed two runs (and one homer) while striking out three batters and walking none. In less positive news, Brandon Beachy has left the team’s facility in Camelback Ranch and gone home. It has been a rough road for the two-time Tommy John surgery participant, and this may be a sign that the road is at its end (EDIT: Or not, since Ken Gurnick just walked back the entire article.).
