Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers (and Enrique Hernandez) did the unthinkable yesterday, as Hernandez took an 0-2 pitch from Josh Hader deep to give the Dodgers a 5-2 victory. Today, the Dodgers look for their seventh consecutive win and their NL-leading 15th win of the season.
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Dodgers |
Brewers
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4:10 p.m.
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Milwaukee, WI.
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LF
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Pederson |
CF
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Cain | |
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3B
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Turner |
RF
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Yelich | |
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SS
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Seager |
LF
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Braun | |
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CF
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Pollock |
1B
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Aguilar | |
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RF
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Bellinger |
3B
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Moustakas | |
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1B
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Freese |
2B
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Perez | |
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2B
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Taylor | C | Pina | |
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C
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Gale |
SS
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Arcia | |
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P
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Ryu (L) |
P
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Anderson (R) |
Hyun-Jin Ryu takes the ball for the Dodgers. He returns from the IL after leaving his April 8th start in the second inning with a groin strain. He missed three months with a groin strain last season, so missing like 11 days seems like a huge bullet dodged. Ryu’s return also pushes Clayton Kershaw back a day, as he’ll start tomorrow on an extra day’s rest.
Ryu didn’t look particularly good in his last start in St. Louis. He allowed a two-run homer in the first inning and another loud double, but left the game with two outs in the second. Prior to that start, Ryu had a pair of great outings under his belt. He allowed a run in six innings on Opening Day, and followed that up with a seven inning, two-run outing against the Giants. That first-inning walk Ryu issued to Paul Goldschmidt is his only walk of the season. Ryu finished last season with the 12th-best walk rate among starters with 80 or more innings pitched, and so far this season his 1.8 percent walk rate is the lowest among starters with 10 or more innings pitched. Obviously the volume of innings benefits him in a rate stat, but Ryu’s done a wonderful job of avoiding free passes for the last couple seasons.
Ryu missed the Brewers during the regular season last year, but got two starts against them in the NLCS. In Game 2, Ryu threw four shutout innings before running in to trouble in the fifth. He allowed a one-out dong to Orlando Arcia before allowing a single to the opposing pitcher. Lorenzo Cain doubled and knocked Ryu out of the game, but Ryu was charged with another run as Ryan Madson allowed a bases-loaded groundout.
Chase Anderson starts a pseudo-bullpen game for the Brewers today. Prior to this season, Anderson had only made one relief appearance in the regular season in his five-year career. However, all five of his outings this season have come in relief prior to today. He hasn’t thrown more than 43 pitches yet this season, and with Hader needing 34 pitches to complete his inning yesterday, the Dodgers could have an advantage heading into this game. The Dodgers saw Anderson in the first game of this win streak, as he relieved Jhoulys Chacin in the third inning of last Sunday’s game. Anderson recorded more outs (eight) than Chacin did (seven), despite throwing 25 fewer pitches. Anderson allowed four hits and one run, a solo homer by Alex Verdugo to lead off the fifth.
Anderson is dinger-prone, as only five pitchers allowed more homers than he did in 2018 (30). In 10 innings this season, Anderson has surrendered three. He throws a four-seam fastball 42.9 percent of the time, and mixes in a changeup, cutter, sinker and curveball.
Both teams switch up their lineups a bit today. Max Muncy and Hernandez both sit, and Rocky Gale starts in place of Austin Barnes behind the plate. Yasmani Grandal gets the day off for Milwaukee.
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The Dodgers made a roster move to bring Ryu back. Josh Sborz was active for six days, but didn’t make his major-league debut.
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There’s a good chance Kenley Jansen won’t be used tonight, even if the Dodgers find themselves in a save situation.
Jansen has thrown 40 pitches over the last three games and allowed two runs (one unearned).
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A reminder that today’s game is actually watchable in Los Angeles. It’ll be on FS1.
