Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Tonight’s game between the Dodgers (96-54) and Phillies (59-91) is a meeting of two right-handed pitchers who have never faced the opposing team before. It’s also the most exciting pitching matchup of this four-game series. Will Yu Darvish (4.08 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 3.29 DRA) be able to build upon the success of his previous start? Will Aaron Nola (3.60 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 2.90 DRA) continue to impress? Let’s find out.
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Dodgers
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Phillies
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4:05 PM PT
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Philadelphia
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CF
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Taylor |
2B
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Hernández | |
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SS
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Seager |
SS
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Galvis | |
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3B
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Turner |
CF
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Herrera | |
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1B
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Bellinger |
1B
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Hoskins | |
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RF
|
Granderson |
RF
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Williams | |
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2B
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Utley |
LF
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Altherr | |
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C
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Grandal | 3B | Crawford | |
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LF
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Ethier |
C
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Alfaro | |
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P
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Darvish (R) |
P
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Nola (R) |
Darvish has had two excellent starts since joining the Dodgers: his first (against the Mets), and his most recent (against the Giants). In his other outings, he’s either struggled or been just okay. With only a few starts to go until the postseason, it would inspire some confidence to see him do well again, especially facing an offense as spotty as the Phillies’.
In a weak and tumultuous Phillies rotation, the 24-year-old Nola stands out as a bright spot. He strikes out around 26 percent of batters he faces, and has a walk rate of seven percent. He’s managed to do a good job suppressing home runs, as his HR/9 of 0.93 is tied for fourth-lowest among National League starters.
Interestingly, Nola’s most-used pitch is his curveball, and it’s a good one:
https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/905952272798158848
Nola has induced an 18.6 percent whiff rate with his curve this season. His secondary mix includes a four-seam fastball (which averages around 92 MPH and tops out around 96 MPH), a sinker, and a changeup.
After sitting last night, Corey Seager is, indeed, back in the lineup. Andre Ethier gets another start in left field, and Curtis Granderson is in right, giving Yasiel Puig the night off.
The Diamondbacks lost last night, so the Dodgers’ magic number is down to three. (Fun (???) note: the Padres have beaten the D’backs three times in the past two weeks, and the Dodgers have won four games, meaning the Padres have done nearly as much to reduce the Dodgers’ magic number as the Dodgers have.)
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Dustin made his first postseason roster predictions earlier today. Dave Roberts later confirmed that Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda are getting looks for the bullpen:
Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda will get to audition for the postseason bullpen in the coming days, Dave Roberts said.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) September 19, 2017
Maeda, however, is the probable starter for Thursday’s game.
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Update, 3:39 PM: Another weather delay. Fun!
At least a 30 minute delay for #Dodgers at #Philles. 7:35 PM local time first pitch, as of now.
— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) September 19, 2017
