Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
It’s hard to imagine how much things have changed since the last time the Dodgers were in San Diego. The Dodgers won the first game by a score of 15-0 and took the series by a combined margin of 25-0. Since then, the Dodgers are 18-21 and have had a run differential of -12. Scott Kazmir, tonight’s starting pitcher, has had an extremely rough road since his six innings of one hit ball in his debut in Petco. He’ll be hoping to replicate that success, along with the success of his almost-complete game last time out.
|
Dodgers
|
Padres
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7:35 p.m. PT
|
San Diego, Ca.
|
|||
|
LF
|
Hernandez
|
CF
|
Jay
|
|
|
3B
|
Turner
|
C
|
Norris
|
|
|
SS
|
Seager
|
1B
|
Myers
|
|
|
2B
|
Kendrick
|
LF
|
Upton
|
|
|
CF
|
Thompson
|
3B
|
Wallace
|
|
|
RF
|
Puig
|
SS
|
Ramirez
|
|
|
1B
|
Grandal
|
RF |
Pirela
|
|
|
C
|
Ellis
|
2B
|
Rosales
|
|
|
P
|
Kazmir (L)
|
P
|
Friedrich (L)
|
The Dodgers haven’t faced a left-handed starting pitcher in a week and as a result the lineup is jarring. Singles Hitter Howie Kendrick (whose nickname has moved from ironic to sad) is batting cleanup, despite having hit two extra-base hits all year. Adrian Gonzalez is still out with a lower back injury, Yasmani Grandal replacing him at first base. Rather confusingly, Joc Pederson is sitting against a left-handed starting pitcher yet again. The Dodgers are looking for ways to jump-start their offense; perhaps not sitting their best hitter every time a southpaw pitches would be a way to move that forward.
The lefty the Pederson-less Dodgers will face is Christian Friedrich, who is replacing the injured Andrew Cashner for the second start in a row. Friedrich has thrown mostly out of the bullpen over the past few seasons (only four starts since 2012), but the Padres are desperate for innings. Friedrich mixes in five pitches: A fourseam fastball, a twoseam fastball, a cutter, a change, and a curve. His fastball topped out around 94 in his first start and averaged a shade over 92.
In bullpen news, Chin-hui Tsao is still with the Dodgers and will remain so until at least the end of the Reds series, when the Dodgers will end a long streak of games without an off day. Tsao looked fairly impressive last night, but also not that different than last year when he had a lot of trouble sticking in the major leagues. The closest thing this bullpen has had to good news in several weeks is that Frankie Montas is beginning a rehab assignment (pitching after Hyun-jin Ryu‘s second rehab start). Montas has been a starter in the minors before, but profiles more as a reliever. Dustin named him as the number 11 prospect in the Dodger organization this winter, mostly on the strength of a fastball that can reach triple digits. Montas may not be a bullpen savior, but at the very least his return wouldn’t hurt. He is not eligible to be removed from the 60 day disabled list until early June, so we’ll have to wait awhile to see him.
This start time is stupid.
[table id=5 /]