Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers are a good baseball team, but are somehow 1-9 in extra-inning games. They dropped the series finale in extras in Colorado yesterday, which coupled with a Giant loss to the Cardinals could have moved the two teams into a tie for first in the NL West. Instead, the Dodgers enter this vital stretch behind by a game. The Dodgers and Giants will play seven times in the next 10 days, with a four-game set in LA beginning tonight. The Dodgers and Giants each have 58 wins this season, the most in the Majors (the Giants have played two fewer games).
 |
 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:10 PM | Los Angeles | ||
| 1B | Wade Jr. (L) | SS | Taylor |
| RF | Yastrzemski (L) | 1B | Muncy (L) |
| C | Posey | 3B | Turner |
| 3B | Flores | C | Smith |
| LF | Dickerson (L) | CF | Bellinger (L) |
| 2B | Solano | RF | Beaty (L) |
| CF | Duggar (L) | LF | Reks (L) |
| SS | Estrada | 2B | McKinstry (L) |
| P | Gausman (R) | P | Gonsolin (R) |
Tony Gonsolin makes his seventh start of the season (eighth appearance overall) tonight. Gonsolin has been good at preventing runs since his season debut in June, as he’s yet to allow more than one earned run in a game this season. However, he’s only completed five innings once in his previous seven outings. He needed a season-high 83 pitches to complete four innings last time out against Arizona. This will be Gonsolin’s first look at the Giants since September 2019, when he faced them twice. He started against the Giants on September 7 and allowed a run in four innings, and he tossed an inning in relief on September 27 and held the Giants off the board but issues two walks and a HBP.
Kevin Gausman gets the ball for the Giants, and he’s been ace for the Giants this season. Gausman was named to the All-Star team but started the Sunday before All-Star break for the Giants. He was scheduled to start the first game after the break, but was placed on the Family Emergency Medical List after his wife had some pregnancy complications (thankfully everything seems fine).
Gausman leads qualified NL starters with 1.73 ERA in 114 2/3 innings. He’s allowed more than two runs in only two of his 18 starts this season, and his .820 WHIP is also the best mark in the NL. Gausman’s ERA hasn’t been above 2.00 since May 8, and he owns a 1.56 ERA and has allowed an OPS of .449 in 75 innings since then. This will be Gausman’s third start at Dodger Stadium this season. He allowed two hits in six shutout innings on May 30, and had one of his worst starts of the season on June 29. He allowed three runs in five innings on June 29, where he issued five walks and had a HBP.
Gausman is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, with a fastball (average 94.5 MPH, 50.3 percent of the time) and splitter (37.6 percent of the time). His splitter is one of the best pitches in the majors, as opponents are hitting .109 (.129 xBA) and slugging .147 (xSLG .175) against it. It also carries a 50.1 percent whiff rate, which is good.
Mookie Betts was originally in the lineup, but he was a late scratch.. Zach McKinstry starts at second with Chris Taylor shifting over to short. For the Giants, Buster Posey is back off the IL after suffering a bone bruise on his left thumb. While they gain Posey, Brandon Crawford was placed on the IL today with an oblique.
——
A couple roster moves for the Dodgers today.
The Dodger bullpen gets Victor Gonzalez back after missing time with plantar fasciitis. Jake Reed was optioned to make room. Gavin Lux came up hobbled near the end of last night’s game at Satan Field and he’ll miss some time with a hamstring strain, Zach Reks takes his spot on the roster.
——
Expect there to be a roster move tomorrow.
JOSIAH GRAY SZN.
Josiah Gray is at the stadium and should make his Major League debut tomorrow, either as a start or following an opener. Gray is Dustin’s (and everyone’s) top prospect in the organization and could slide into the rotation vacancy. He missed time with a shoulder injury, but has been building back up. He threw 68 pitches in his last AAA start on July 15.
——
Corey Seager could return to the lineup in this series.
Seager’s been out since May 15 with a broken finger, but could return to the lineup as early as Wednesday. He faced Corey Knebel in live BP and if he is feeling okay tomorrow, should be back in there Wednesday.
——
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM PDT and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.
