The Dodgers turn to Clayton Kershaw to attempt to get them a series win today versus the Yankees.
Last night’s game most certainly left a sour taste in our mouths, as the Dodgers lost a close one, 3-0. All of the Yankees’ runs came on solo home runs, with two of them coming in the seventh inning.
Even though the Dodgers took the loss, the silver-lining came later that evening, as the San Diego Padres were able to beat the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers still own a four-game lead in the NL West.
The Dodgers will be sending their ace to the hill today to increase their lead in the division potentially.
Dodgers Starter
Clayton Kershaw takes the ball on Wednesday afternoon, coming off of his first start since June 26th. Kershaw had been on the DL with a mildly herniated disk in his back.
Kershaw struggled against Miami last Friday, only going three innings and giving up five hits along with two earned runs. He was visibly off of his game, missing spots he usually does not miss.
Do not expect Dave Roberts to stretch Kershaw today, as he might be held to a pitch limit. We saw the Dodgers take the safe route with Rich Hill on Saturday, so do not rule out that possibility for Kershaw today.
Yankees Starter
Michael Pineda will be starting opposite Kershaw today. Saying, Pineda has struggled this season is an understatement. Pineda is 6-11 with a 5.07 ERA in 28 starts this year. Although Pineda is striking out 10.3 batters per 9, he is also walking an astounding 2.5 batters per 9.
Pineda has not faced the Dodgers ever before in his career, but he has faced a few of their hitters before. Adrian Gonzalez owns the best stats off of Pineda, going 2-3 off of him in his career.
Pineda has not gone longer than 4.2 innings in his last two starts, so look for the offense to attempt to work some counts as much as possible.
Dodgers Lineup
Today’s lineup bolsters more normalcy, as this resembles the most likely lineup that the Dodgers will use for the rest of the year. Yasmani Grandal returns from his off day, and Andre Ethier gets the start at DH. It is positive to see Ethier slowly coming along ahead of the final stretch of the season.
Yasiel Puig is out today, which is most likely just a day off. Andrew Toles will be getting the start in LF and hitting ninth, acting as the second leadoff hitter today.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PST and can be seen on SportsNet LA.
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