Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
For the second consecutive weekend, the Dodgers play a vital series against a divisional opponent. Come Monday, the Dodgers could be in first place or on the verge of being out of the race. This weekend could ultimately decide the Dodgers 2018 season. Dustin wrote something similar to that yesterday. It’s not hyperbole. This weekend is pretty big. Luckily, the Dodgers have the right guy on the mound in game one of the series. Last time the Dodgers played at Satan field, they lost three of four games. The final two games were walk-off wins for the Rockies, including a walk-off bases-loaded walk. Don’t do that again pls.
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Dodgers
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Rockies
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5:40 PM
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Colorado
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LF
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Pederson |
CF
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Blackmon | |
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3B
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Turner |
2B
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LeMahieu | |
| SS | Machado |
3B
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Arenado | |
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1B
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Muncy |
SS
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Story | |
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CF
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Bellinger |
LF
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Holliday | |
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2B
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Hernández |
1B
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Desmond | |
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C
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Grandal | RF | Gonzalez | |
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RF
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Puig |
C
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Butera | |
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P
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Kershaw (L)
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P
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Gray (R)
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Clayton Kershaw gets the start for the Dodgers, a move that was put into action when Kershaw was pushed back a day a couple weeks ago. Kershaw last started on September 1 against Arizona, and put together a solid start. He only struck out three batters, but allowed only four hits and two runs, both coming on solo homers. Patrick Corbin shut the Dodgers down during the game, but a three-run Matt Kemp home run in the eighth inning gave the Dodgers the victory and put the Dodgers in a tie for the NL West lead. That lead was short-lived as they lost two of three to the Mets. Somehow, Kershaw has yet to see the Rockies this season. Kershaw hasn’t fared very well at Coors in his career with a 4.65 ERA in 120 innings, his highest in any active ballpark. Last season at Coors, Kershaw allowed nine runs in 19 innings. Three of those runs came in a tune-up four-inning outing in the last game of the season. I really hate this stadium.
Jon Gray starts for the Rockies. Gray actually has a lower ERA at Coors than on the road (4.56 vs 4.81), but his 3.59 FIP is the 17th-best in the majors among pitchers with at least 150 innings thrown. Gray is coming off a six-inning, two-run effort in San Diego. He’s had back-to-back starts with only one strikeout despite having struck out 10 or more batters in a game four times this season, so that could be something to look out for. He saw the Dodgers on August 10 and allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, but the Rockies scored twice off Zac Rosscup to defeat the Dodgers 5-4.
Yasiel Puig returns to the lineup after serving his two-game suspension. Matt Holliday starts in left for the Rockies, which means that he’s apparently still a baseball player. Who knew.
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Ross Stripling is back.
The Dodgers today reinstated RHP Ross Stripling from the 10-day disabled list.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 7, 2018
Stripling hasn’t pitched since August 9 in Colorado, but he gives the Dodgers another option to start games or to come out of the bullpen. With Kenley Jansen unavailable for this series, using Stripling in some leverage situations wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
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The Dodgers did some more rotation shuffling.
Rich Hill will start Sunday here at Coors Field instead of Alex Wood, who will pitch the following day in Ohio. So, the Dodgers will start Kershaw, Buehler, and Hill against the first-place Rockies.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) September 7, 2018
Rich Hill will start Sunday with Alex Wood being pushed back to the Cincinnati series.
Roberts said the move was "more matchup-driven."
Wood career at Coors Field — 6 starts, 1-2, 9.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .356 BA against
Wood career at Cincy — 2 starts, 2-0, 1.32 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, .178 BA— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 7, 2018
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https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1038124742241341440
I think I’m a decently tech-savvy, avocado toast-loving millennial. I don’t know what 30 percent of the words in this tweet mean.
