Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers go for the series win against the Red Sox Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. After getting rocked by the Boston sluggers in a 9-0 shutout in the series opener, The Blue Crew came back with some excellent pitching on Saturday to turn the tables and shutout the Red Sox, 3-0.
Rich Hill, who happens to hail from Boston, is unable to make his Dodger debut yet due to nagging blister issues. The “little remnant of a new formed blister” on the lower part of his middle finger of his pitching hand emerged after he played catch on Friday, and the blister affects his ability to throw his curveball. This isn’t the first time a Dodger has faced blister problems. Andre Ethier‘s offense was disrupted by a large blister on the palm of his right hand in 2012, and Yasiel Puig had a bloody blister pop during a game in 2015. Hill is hopeful for a Friday start against the Pirates.
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Red Sox
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Dodgers
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4:10 p.m. PT
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Los Angeles
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| RF | Betts | 2B | Kendrick | |
| CF | Bradley | SS | Seager | |
| SS | Bogaerts | 3B | Turner | |
| 2B | Pedroia | 1B | Gonzalez | |
| 1B | Shaw | CF | Hernandez | |
| 3B | Holt | RF | Reddick | |
| C | Holaday | C | Grandal | |
| LF | Benintendi | LF | Segedin | |
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P
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Price (L)
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P
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McCarthy (R)
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The Dodgers turn to Brandon McCarthy (2-2, 2.76 ERA, 3.06 FIP), who gets the call in the series finale. McCarthy has not been able to pitch past the fourth inning in his last two starts after a succession of successful starts this year since returning from Tommy John surgery. Last time out his control was lacking (five walks), and he only lasted three frames against the Rockies in the 7-3 loss.
As an American League pitcher earlier in his career, McCarthy is 3-4 with a 4.75 ERA in 10 games (7 starts) against the Red Sox. Hanley Ramirez has three hits including two doubles against him in four at-bats. David Ortiz and Aaron Hill have both homered against the right-hander. Ramirez is hitless so far in the series, but Big Papi and Hanley are not in the starting lineup.
David Price (9-7, 4.30 ERA, 3.28) will try to stymie the Dodgers, who have the lowest team batting average in the NL against left-handed pitching (.228). He has already allowed 17 home runs this season, his total for the entirety of 2015 with Detroit and Toronto. Successful pitching for the two aforementioned organizations helped him garner a $217 million contract with Boston.
Price has pitched better of late, however, and he shutout the Angels over eight innings in Anaheim and pitched seven strong innings against Seattle. Both games ended with hard-luck losses, but that’s the way baseball goes. Price, who many Dodger fans clamored for during the offseason, may not have been the ace they were pining over even if the Dodgers had paid for his exorbitant price tag.
Price has only faced the Dodgers once in his career back in 2013 at Dodger Stadium. He allowed one unearned run on seven hits over seven innings in the 7-6 Dodger win.
It wouldn’t feel like a normal day without a roster move or two. Welcome to the Rob Segedin era. After seven years in the minors, Segedin is starting in left field and batting eighth in his MLB debut on Sunday. Corresponding roster moves send Chris Taylor back to Triple-A and Trayce Thompson to the 60-day disabled list.
Segedin hit .319/.392/.598/.989 with 21 home runs, 23 doubles and nine triples for the OKC Dodgers in 103 games. He played 58 games at third base, 36 games at first base, one game each at second base and shortstop and five games in left field. The Dodgers traded Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Olson to the Yankees in January in exchange for Segedin, who played well as a non-roster invitee during spring training.
Meanwhile, Yasiel Puig started in right field for OKC today.
Yasiel Puig signing autographs in Des Moines, before the first AAA game of his career. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/tPAw2Wj8Oc
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) August 7, 2016
This wasn’t happy news.
Roberts says Yimi Garcia had a setback and won’t be coming back this season
— Jack Baer (@JFordBaer) August 7, 2016
But to make you feel better, Clayton Kershaw played catch today.
It was also announced that Julio Urias will start against the Phillies tomorrow.
The Giants already lost 1-0 earlier today to the Nationals, so the Dodgers are temporarily 1 1/2 games back. What a perfect opportunity to pull within one game of San Francisco before a three-game series against the fourth-place Phillies.
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