Dodgers @ D’backs August 30, 2017: Ryu vs. Ray; Bellinger back

(Via)

After dropping a series for the first time in more than two months, the Dodgers (91-39) are at risk of losing another. The suddenly-hot Diamondbacks (74-58) have now won five in a row, and they’re sending a guy to the mound who’s having a very good season, including a couple of solid starts against the Boys in Blue.

Dodgers
D’backs
6:40 p.m.
Arizona
CF
Taylor
LF
Peralta
SS
Hernández
3B
Rosales
3B
Turner
CF
Pollock
1B
Bellinger
1B
Goldschmidt
2B
Forsythe
RF
Martinez
RF
Puig
2B
Drury
C
Barnes SS Marte
LF
Granderson
C
Herrmann
P
Ryu (L)
P
Ray (L)

Robbie Ray (3.06 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 4.04 DRA) had a scary incident in late July, wherein he took a line drive to the head and had to miss several weeks dealing with a concussion. Ray made his return last week with five innings of one-run ball against the Mets. This will be Ray’s fourth time facing the Dodgers this year. His two starts at Dodger Stadium were both six-inning efforts in which he allowed just one earned run. In his other start, at Chase Field, he allowed five runs in 5.1 IP.

Tonight’s Dodger starter, Hyun-Jin Ryu (3.34 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 4.12 DRA), has gone nine consecutive starts without allowing more than three runs. This will be his first time facing the Diamondbacks this season, and thus, since September of 2014. In eight career starts against Arizona, Ryu has a 3.26 ERA in 49.2 IP.

A fun fact about this pitching matchup, from the great Diane Firstman:

——

As expected, Cody Bellinger has been activated today and is back in the starting lineup, batting cleanup and playing first base. Bellinger made a rehab start for the AZL Dodgers last night, and went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run.

The Dodgers have gone 4-5 since Bellinger got injured. They’re 13-16 this season when he doesn’t play, and 78-23 when he does. Make of that whatever you will; however, I think we can all agree it’s good to have his bat back in the lineup.

Also as expected, Corey Seager is not starting again today, but is still available to pinch hit.

——

To make room on the roster for Bellinger, Kyle Farmer has been optioned back to Triple-A:

I’m sure we’ll be seeing Kyle in a couple days’ time when rosters expand.

As for who else we’ll see on September 1:

(Technically, though, Brock Stewart will be pitching on September 2.)

Brandon McCarthy, meanwhile, is going to make another rehab start this weekend:

About Sarah Wexler

Sarah Wexler is a native Angeleno and longtime Dodger fan. She began blogging about baseball in 2012 on her Tumblr, New Grass On The Field, where she covered an array of topics but especially enjoyed exploring baseball history. She is now a reporter/producer for MLB.com. She earned her master's degree in Sports Management from Cal State Long Beach. She graduated from New York University in 2014 with a bachelor's in History and a minor in American Studies. She's an avid Springsteen fan, which is a big boost to her baseball writer cred.