Giants @ Dodgers July 24, 2020: Anderson vs Stripling in second game of the season

Let me be the first to make the joke about the Dodgers being undefeated on July 24. Yesterday, they opened the season with a frustrating first six innings before blowing things wide open with a five-run seventh inning en route to an 8-1 victory.

The Dodgers now look to start off the season on a winning streak with a victory in the second game of the season.

	Giants			Dodgers
	6:40 p.m.			Los Angeles
CF	Yaztremski		RF	Betts
3B	Flores		1B	Muncy
1B	Sandoval		3B	Turner
DH	Dickerson		CF	Bellinger
LF	McCarthy		2B	Hernández
2B	Dubón		SS	Seager
SS	Crawford		LF	Taylor
RF	Davis		DH	Pederson
C	Brantley		C	Smith
P	Anderson (L)		P	Stripling (R)

Ross Stripling starts for the Dodgers following a solid Dustin May start on Opening Day. Go back in time 17 weeks to January and imagine reading those words. It would have been even weirder to read that in February, as Stripling (and Joc Pederson) was reportedly traded to the Angels in a flurry of moves surrounding the Mookie Betts trade. Arte Moreno, bless his heart, got impatient with the delays and backed out of a trade that would have netted the Angels their second-best starter and a platoon hitter that hit 36 dongs last season (and a top 20 Dodgers prospect!) for literally Luis Rengifo.

Stripling won the number 5 spot in the rotation when David Price opted out of the season, but will start game number two as Walker Buehler won’t start until Tuesday. Stripling appeared in 32 games last season, splitting time between the bullpen and rotation. He was slightly better out of the bullpen, but in his 15 starts Stripling posted a 3.60 ERA in 70 innings and allowed a triple slash of .246/.284/.424. Stripling saw the Giants four times last season with mixed results. In his only start against them, Stripling allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings, surrendering homers to two players that won’t be playing today (Steven Duggar and Brandon Belt). Stripling had a couple rough bullpen outings against the Giants last season, allowing three earned runs in 1/3 of an inning on April 29 and three runs (all unearned) in two innings on June 20.

Jeff Samardzija was the original starter for the Giants tonight, but Dave Roberts announced that the Giants were going to start Tyler Anderson instead. Samardzija still might appear in tonights game is Anderson is used just as an opener, but that remains to be seen. Never pre-write these previews, kids.

Anderson will be making his Giant debut tonight, but he’s very familiar with the NL West. Anderson spent his first four seasons with the Rockies, posting a 4.69 ERA/4.47 FIP in 397 career innings, though many of those came at Satan Field.

Anderson throws three different types of fastballs. It’s tough to read into last year’s stats as he only threw 20 innings, but in 2018 he threw a four-seamer 39.6 percent of the time, cutter 28.7 percent of the time and a sinker five percent of the time. Anderson also throws a changeup (primarily to righties) nearly 23 percent of the time, and throws a curve on occasion.

With a lefty on the mound, Betts leads off for the first time in his Dodger career. Chris Taylor gets the start in left with Pederson DHing, meaning A.J. Pollock sits tonight. Will Smith gets the start behind the plate.

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While Price’s Dodger debut will have to wait until 2021, he will make a broadcast debut tonight.

We hear @DAVIDprice24 will be joining the @SportsNetLA broadcast tonight. 👀 https://t.co/VS45zVMj4E

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 24, 2020

The important takeaway from this tweet is that tonight’s game will be on Sportnet and not on any national broadcast. It’s the only game of the series Sportsnet will carry (Saturday on Fox, Sunday on ESPN again, hold your applause).

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Clayton Kershaw‘s back injury caused him to be scratched from his scheduled Opening Day start. There seems to be promising news on that regard.

Kershaw took an MRI Tuesday. "Clean,' Roberts said. "We're encouraged." Roberts said Dustin May has a good chance of taking Kershaw's next start in Houston.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) July 24, 2020

Clayton Kershaw said he hurt his back doing his standard exercise routine Tuesday. Today, he played catch up to 90 feet. He did not offer a return timeline but indicated he expects it to be soon. “Thankful that I should be back pretty quick,” he said.

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) July 25, 2020

May filled in admirably for Kershaw, and should get another start in Houston on Wednesday. There were thoughts when he didn’t make the initial Opening Day roster that the Dodgers would roster-manipulate him up in time to piggyback with Buehler on Tuesday. With an off day Monday and an expanded roster, the Dodgers should be fine using regular relievers behind Buehler.

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First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 on Sportnet LA.