The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up where they left off in the first half, staging a ninth-inning comeback to defeat the Miami Marlins in the opener of a three-game series. The Dodgers look to extend their seven-game winning streak behind the same starting eight from Friday’s game.
Chris Taylor once again is starting in left field and in the leadoff spot, and he’s followed by Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. The Dodgers are 34-9 in games Bellinger and Turner both started.
Taylor went 2-for-3 with a walk and made an impressive catch in the series opener. Corey Seager homered and Yasiel Puig twice went deep, to give him 18 home runs on the year. Puig is on pace to shatter the career-high 19 homers he hit as a rookie in 2013.
The offense will look to provide run support for Alex Wood, who arguably became the most surprising and crucial contributor in the first half. Wood threw seven shutout innings while striking out 10 in his last start before the All-Star break.
He’s among the six Dodgers who have enjoyed a long week in Miami for All-Star Game festivities followed by the team’s road trip beginning at Marlins Park.
Wood takes the mound 10-0 with a 1.67 ERA, 2.03 FIP and 0.89 WHIP. He became the first Dodgers starter to open a season 10-0 since Don Newcombe in 1955. No player in the Dodgers’ modern history has ever began a season with an 11-0 record.
The 26-year-old owns a career 3.14 ERA and 1.22 WHIP during the first half, and a 3.09 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in the second half. Wood is a lifetime 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 12 games (nine starts) against the Marlins.
He last faced them on May 19, throwing 7.1 scoreless innings to earn a win. The one-time All-Star is 3-1 at Marlins Park, though last pitched there in 2015.
The Marlins send out Jose Urena for his 14th start of the season. The right-hander didn’t factor into the decision in his previous outing, a road start against the San Francisco Giants. In five innings pitched, Urena allowed three runs on five hits, issued a walk and allowed two home runs.
After beginning the season in a bullpen role, Urena has steadily progressed towards holding a spot in Don Mattingly’s rotation. On top of facing a potent Dodgers lineup, Urena has the challenge of breaking free from subpar results at home.
He’s just 5-12 with a 4.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 34 career home games (19 starts). Overall this season, Urena is 7-3 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Only Joc Pederson and Seager have hits off the young right-hander, but are only a combined 2-for-9.
Dee Gordon is a career 5-for-14 with two RBI against Wood, and Marcell Ozuna is 6-for-20 and also has two RBI. Gordon went 0-for-5 but scored a run in the series opener, while Ozuna was 1-for-3 with a walk.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
2B: Logan Forsythe
CF: Joc Pederson
C: Yasmani Grandal
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Alex Wood
Marlins lineup:
2B: Dee Gordon
RF: Giancarlo Stanton
CF: Christian Yelich
LF: Marcell Ozuna
3B: Martin Prado
1B: Justin Bour
C: J.T. Realmuto
SS: JT Riddle
P: Jose Urena
