Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers are coming off one of the more eventful 1-0 games of the year. They shut the Giants out yesterday two take two of three during the weekend series, and royally pissed off Madison Bumgarner (and Jeremy Affeldt and Aubrey Huff), making it a wonderful all-around day (buy our shirts).
The Dodgers return near LA, as they open up a quick two-game interleague series in Anaheim. The Angels are scuffling a bit, with five losses in their last seven games. They lost two of three this weekend against the Mariners, who are the only team with a worse record than the Angels in the AL West.
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Dodgers |
Angels
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7:07 p.m.
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Anaheim
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LF
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Pederson |
3B
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La Stella | |
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3B
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Muncy |
CF
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Trout | |
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DH
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Turner |
1B
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Pujols | |
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RF
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Bellinger |
DH
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Smith | |
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SS
|
Seager |
RF
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Calhoun | |
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CF
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Verdugo |
LF
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Puello | |
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C
|
Martin |
C
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Lucroy | |
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2B
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Taylor | SS | Tovar | |
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1B
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Hernández |
2B
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Rengifo | |
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P
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Ryu (L) |
P
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Canning (R) |
In 2018, Hyun-Jin Ryu threw 82 innings with a 1.97 ERA. He’s currently at 80 innings in 2019, and he lowered his ERA to 1.35. 1.35!!! That doesn’t seem real. Ryu has been stellar this season and is coming off his fifth scoreless start of the season last time out in Arizona. Ryu struck out only two Diamondbacks (his lowest in a non-injury-shortened start this season), but induced (by my quick count) 14 ground outs and two ground balls that resulted in errors. Ryu also topped 100 pitches for the fourth time in 12 starts this season, a nice sign of durability for the oft-injured lefty.
Opposing Ryu will be the Angels second-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline, Griffin Canning. The 23-year-old Orange County native has made seven starts this season and owns a 3.52 ERA in 38 1/3 innings with 42 strikeouts and 10 walks. In Canning’s first three starts, he allowed nine earned runs in 14 1/3 innings. He followed that up with three good starts, allowing two runs in his next three starts (18 innings). His last time out was a bit more rough, as Canning allowed four runs in six innings at home against the A’s.
Canning averages 93.5 MPH on his fastball and throws it 43.2 percent of the time. It’s also his best strikeout pitch, with 20 of his 42 strikeouts coming on the heater. He also throws a slider, curve and changeup.
With the DH available, we don’t get to enjoy Ryu at the plate today. Justin Turner will DH tonight, with Max Muncy starting at third and Enrique Hernandez getting his first yoga pants start of the season at first.
Notable things about the Angels lineup. Tommy La Stella is somehow slashing .315/.371/.549 this season??? He hit 10 homers in 947 plate appearances over his first five seasons. He already has 15 this season. Apparently, other teams are allowed to take castoff infielders and turn them into stars.
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If you’re one of those fortunate souls with Sportsnet LA, the pregame show will have some more grit today.
Chase Utley makes his Sportsnet LA debut tonight.
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Matt Beaty is with the Dodgers today, but is still in the rehab process.
He’ll play with Rancho Cucamonga tomorrow as he rehabs a hip injury.
David Freese has been lowkey incredible this season, but isn’t completely healthy.
The Dodgers will definitely be looking for bullpen help, and it won’t come from Tony Cingrani.
Cingrani had surgery to repair his left labrum and is out for the season. He threw 7 1/3 rehab innings in 2019, split between Rancho and Oklahoma City.
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Seriously buy our shirts.
