Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After going 8-2 in their 10 game homestand, the Dodgers (79-41) travel to Miami, to open up a three game series against the Marlins (44-73). Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to take the mound tonight in the series opener, but he was scratched just a few hours prior to game time for Dustin May. Roberts said that they’re just getting Kershaw an extra day of rest, so everything should be totally fine. May will be going up against Marlins’ rookie Jordan Yamamoto.
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Dodgers
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Marlins
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4:10 p.m.
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Miami
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RF
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Pederson |
SS
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Berti | |
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2B
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Muncy |
2B
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Diaz | |
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3B
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Turner |
RF
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Anderson | |
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1B
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Bellinger |
1B
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Cooper | |
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CF
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Pollock |
3B
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Castro | |
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SS
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Seager |
LF
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Ramirez | |
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C
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Smith | C | Alfaro | |
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LF
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Beaty |
CF
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Brinson | |
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P
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May (R) |
P
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Yamamoto (R) |
The Dodgers break out their dominant offense against the right-handed Yamamoto. The team has a collective .850 OPS against right-handed pitching which is the highest mark in the league. Additionally, they’re first in OPS, wRC+ (121), wOBA (.353), and walk rate (10.4%), with the fourth lowest strikeout rate at 19.7%.
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Dustin May (3.18 ERA, 2.87 FIP) gets the start in the series opener, with a favorable matchup against a weak Marlins offense. The Marlins offense is definitively one of the worst in the league, ranking 29th in wRC+ (82) and wOBA (.292), and last in Slugging at .380. May is coming off a strong start against the Cardinals, where he allowed just one run on five hits over five and two thirds, while striking out seven. Hopefully he can take advantage of a very good matchup and continue to build upon his last start.
Yamamoto has only thrown 54 innings on the season, but here’s an idea of where he would rank among 96 qualified starters, should he have enough innings.
Jordan Yamamoto is a 23 year-old right hander making his 11th career start with Miami. He’s had a solid start to his career, sitting relatively middle of the pack in ERA and FIP while being above average in strikeout rate and WHIP. However, his BABIP suggests that he’s been significantly lucky with balls in play. His .208 BABIP against would be the lowest in the league among those 96 qualified starters. Yamamoto has four solid pitches in his repitoire, as he sits 91-93 with his fastball which he throws nearly half the time, mixing in a slider, cutter and curve nearly equally. While not a polarizing prospect, he has been solid at nearly all levels of the minor leagues and is having significant success in his rookie season. He’ll have a tough task today, as his walk-rate of 10.5% is very high and he’s facing an offense that takes advantage of free bases.
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Here’s more information on swapping Kershaw and May in the rotation order. The Dodgers are also off on Monday, meaning Kershaw will get another extra day of rest before his next start. Seems like a good idea heading towards September with Kershaw looking sharp as of late.
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White has seriously struggled since joining the team, maybe he’s had an irritated trap or maybe it’s a phantom injury to get him some rest. Regardless, Kyle Garlick rejoins the team.
Enrique Hernandez looks to be making progress towards a return, while Alex Verdugo and Chris Taylor also look to return sooner rather than later.
First pitch is at 4:10 P.T. on SNLA.
