Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
If this start time seems weird to you, it seems weird to me too, which is why this game thread is super late. Five minutes to spare!
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Dodgers |
Padres
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5:40 p.m.
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San Diego
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CF
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Hernández |
2B
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Kinsler | |
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3B
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Turner |
RF
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Reyes | |
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SS
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Seager |
SS
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Machado | |
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1B
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Freese |
LF
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Renfroe | |
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2B
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Muncy |
1B
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Hosmer | |
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C
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Martin |
3B
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France | |
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RF
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Verdugo | CF | Margot | |
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LF
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Taylor |
C
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Hedges | |
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P
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Hill (L) |
P
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Lucchesi (L) |
The Dodgers will face off against Joey Lucchesi, who throws one of the most unique pitches in the sport. His “churve” is a changeup-curve hybrid, which he throws almost 40% of the time. Lucchesi has struggled by ERA this season, but his peripherals have matched last season’s numbers and show a pitcher who is quite good if he can limit the home-run ball. That’s a tall task with 2019’s version of the baseball, but he’s in the right home park to do it.
Rich Hill opposes him, and of course he will be throwing a bunch of curves in return, albeit of the 12-to-6 variety. Hill started off quite poorly in his first outing of the season, but rebounded nicely in the final few innings. He’ll be looking to be more consistent today.
——
In terms of things that are “not big deals” this seems like it could be a pretty big deal:
Dave Roberts said he expects Cody Bellinger to be back in starting lineup tomorrow. Bellinger’s right shoulder is sore after it popped out and back in during last night’s game. Saw Bellinger earlier today and he didn’t seem to be in any major discomfort.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 4, 2019
Just a small dislocated shoulder for Cody Bellinger, no biggie.
There is also better news to share:
#Dodgers LHP Tony Cingrani has been assigned to Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on a rehab assignment. Cingrani has not pitched this season due to a recurring shoulder problem that also sidelined him for most of the 2nd half last year.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 4, 2019
It’s tough to know what to expect from Tony Cingrani after so much missed time, but if he’s anything like what he was down the stretch in 2017, he would be a tremendous help to this shaky bullpen.
