Dodgers @ Phillies Aug. 12, 2021: White vs. Suarez in bullpen game for each team

The Dodgers go for a series sweep of the (tied for) 1st-place Phillies on Thursday morning/afternoon. They’ll send Mitch White to the hill. He’ll be opposed by Ranger Suarez.

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10:05 a.m. Philadelphia
2B Turner 2B Segura
3B Muncy (L) 1B Miller (L)
1B Pujols RF Harper (L)
LF Pollock LF McCutchen
SS Seager (L) SS Gregorius (L)
CF Taylor 3B Torreyes
RF Bellinger (L) CF Jankowski (L)
C Barnes C Knapp (S)
P White (R) P Suarez (L)

White is up today, as previously planned (Kevin Quackenbush was designated for assignment). He last pitched in the majors on July 31, when he went 3 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks. He went five innings (79 pitches) in his last outing for Triple-A Oklahoma City a week ago, so he’s capable of going deeper into games than most when it comes to bullpen games, but the Phillies have a tough lineup, so if the Dodgers can get 3-ish quality innings out of White today, they’d probably consider that a win.

Suarez is having a fantastic season for the Phillies. He’s spent most of 2021 in the bullpen, but there might be plans to stretch him out. He has a 0.98 ERA, 3.35 FIP and a 16.3 K-BB%. He probably won’t be ticketed for a long outing (61 pitches is his season-high), but he should give the Phillies at least a few quality innings.

Austin Barnes is in for Will Smith today, while Tio Albert Pujols gets the nod at first base. Max Muncy gets the nod at third base, while Chris Taylor moves out to center field today, with the suddenly hot Cody Bellinger sliding over to right.

For Philly, JT Realmuto isn’t starting, but is available off the bench today.

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Here are the weekend pitching matchups in New York.

The Dodgers, seemingly, have the pitching advantage in every game, so expect them to get swept.

The Dodgers haven’t necessarily “missed” Justin Turner in these first two games, but it’ll still be nice to have him back, provided he’s healthy. That’s the biggest thing right now: everyone needs to be healthy, or as healthy as they can be. That’ll be the biggest determiner of how far they (and every team, really) goes in the postseason.

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Rough year for Tony Gonsolin so far. I’m thinking 2022 will go better for him. Cole Hamels in a Dodger uniform is going to happen and I’m moderately excited for it. Same goes for Danny Duffy, but I expect him to be a multi-inning reliever. If he’s healthy, he could be a nice weapon out of the bullpen come October (if they get past the Padres in the Wild Card game).

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.