Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Tonight concludes the first Dodgers/Diamondbacks series of the year. The Dodgers took the first two of the four games, but the D-backs managed to take advantage of Rich Hill‘s blister situation yesterday, giving them the chance at a series split today.
|
D-backs
|
Dodgers
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7:10 p.m.
|
Los Angeles
|
|||
|
CF
|
Pollock |
2B
|
Forsythe | |
|
RF
|
Peralta |
SS
|
Seager | |
|
1B
|
Goldschmidt |
3B
|
Turner | |
|
3B
|
Lamb |
RF
|
Puig | |
|
LF
|
Tomas |
C
|
Grandal | |
|
2B
|
Descalso |
CF
|
Hernández | |
|
SS
|
Owings | 1B | Segedin | |
|
C
|
Mathis |
LF
|
Van Slyke | |
|
P
|
Ray (L)
|
P
|
McCarthy (R)
|
Brandon McCarthy will take the mound against his former team, for whom he played in 2013 and part of 2014. McCarthy has gotten off to a very good start, allowing just two runs in 12 innings of work thus far. It’s early, of course, but McCarthy’s initial success is encouraging. His last time out, he faced the Cubs, and he held the reigning World Champions scoreless for six innings (thanks, in part, to some wind and a lot of double plays).
Left-hander Robbie Ray is also off to a solid start this year. In 12.1 IP, he’s allowed three runs and struck out 14 (although he’s walked eight). Most of his numbers from last season don’t look too great, with one key exception: his strikeouts. Ray’s 11.25 K/9 was second in baseball, and his K% of 28.1% was fourth among qualified National League starters. He faced the Dodgers four times last year, pitching into at least the sixth inning each time; the D-backs won two of those four games.
Ray will face yet another righty-heavy Dodgers lineup. Logan Forsythe, once again, is batting leadoff. The hamstring concern that kept him out of yesterday’s lineup is evidently not enough of an issue to keep him from what is quickly becoming established as his traditional role versus left-handed starters.
Enrique Hernández is back in center field, in place of Joc Pederson. This is the seventh time the Dodgers have faced a left-handed starter this season; Pederson has started two of those games. Scott Van Slyke makes his second start of the season. In 18 plate appearances, he has two hits (one of which was a double) and has walked three times.
Finally, Rob Segedin has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City, the corresponding move for Hill going back to the disabled list. He’ll get the start at first in place of Adrian González. Interestingly, in a limited sample size of 83 plate appearances last season, Segedin fared better against right-handed pitching than he did left-handed pitching (.707 OPS vs. .638 OPS). His minor league splits tell a different story, though — he OPS’d 1.052 against lefties at the Triple-A level last year.
—–
On the subject of Rich Hill, things … aren’t exactly encouraging there:
Roberts said the club is baffled over what to do about Hill's blister.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) April 17, 2017
Alex Wood will once again step into the rotation in Hill’s place.
