Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers did the impossible, winning an extra inning game AND a one-run game last night. The Giants held on to beat the Rockies, so the Dodgers remain five games back in the NL West. However, a Padre loss means the Dodgers now have a five game lead over them for second in the NL West and the Wild Card race (in which the Padres now only have a 2.5 game lead over Cincinnati for the second WC spot). Today, the Dodgers can secure a third consecutive series win and their sixth win in the last seven games.
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| 4:10 PM | Queens | ||
| 2B | Turner | CF | Nimmo (L) |
| 1B | Muncy (L) | 2B | McNeil (L) |
| C | Smith | 1B | Alonso |
| SS | Seager (L) | LF | Smith (L) |
| LF | Pollock | RF | Conforto (L) |
| 3B | Taylor | 3B | Davis |
| CF | Bellinger (L) | SS | Villar (S) |
| RF | McKinney (L) | C | Nido |
| P | Buehler (R) | P | Walker (R) |
Walker Buehler gets the ball for the Dodgers today. Buehler’s making his 24th start of the season tonight and with Jacob deGrom‘s injury, Buehler finds himself right in the thick of the Cy Young race. Buehler’s completed at least six innings in 22 of his 23 starts and leads the Majors (among qualified starters) with a 2.18 ERA. Buehler’s .93 WHIP is tied for the fourth best in the Majors (all of the top five pitches for either the Dodgers or Brewers), and he’s allowed zero or one earned run in each of his last four starts. Buehler’s had some issues with walks in August, as he’s issued seven free passes in 12 innings in his two August starts.
Taijuan Walker makes his 22nd start of the season for the Mets. Walker was named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement, but started the Sunday before the break and didn’t go to the game. He was excellent through most of the first half of the season, with a 2.50 ERA in his first 16 starts. Walker got roughed up in that start before the break, as he allowed five earned runs (six total) while recording one out in Pittsburgh. He’s struggled since the break, allowing 18 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings stretched across four starts. His last start was his best since the break, as he allowed three runs in six innings against the Phillies (each of the three runs coming on solo homers). Dodger fans should be familiar enough with Walker, who spent three seasons in Arizona. Much of that time was spent on the IL, as he lost most of the 2018 and 2019 seasons with Tommy John Surgery. This will be his eighth appearance against the Dodgers, and he has a 4.67 ERA and 1.442 WHIP in his previous seven appearances against them.
Perhaps Walker’s regression isn’t the biggest surprise.
Walker’s underlying numbers are a bit worse than his actual numbers. He doesn’t get a lot of whiffs or chases and doesn’t miss the barrel very often, which isn not the best combination. Baseball Savant lists his two most-thrown pitches as a four-seam fastball (averaging 94.4 MPH) and sinker (averaging 93.6 MPH).
Justin Turner is not in the lineup for the fifth straight game, more on that in a bit.
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Turner is available off the bench tonight.
They’d try to keep him from running, but Turner could be available to hit if needed. He could also make his return to the lineup tomorrow.
Clayton Kershaw update.
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The Dodgers are down like half their bullpen today.
Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol and Justin Bruihl are all unavailable tonight. Prepare yourselves for Edwin Uceta vs Pete Alonso in the bottom of the ninth.
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The Dodgers made/will be making a roster move.
Zach McKinstry is or will be recalled today. My lunch is about to arrive so if it happens between now and the time this scheduled post publishes, so be it.
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I’m still not sure what I’m allowed to say without getting this site in legal trouble.
Most of the writers here have made our feelings on this dude very clear in the past. I’m so tired of writing about him, but at least now it’s increasingly more difficult to picture a scenario in which he throws another pitch for the Dodgers (allegedly or something).
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First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM PDT and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.
