After stringing together four consecutive victories, the Los Angeles Dodgers head to Sloan Park to take on the Chicago Cubs for the first time since the 2017 National League Championship Series.
Wilmer Font is making his third Cactus League start and coming off a solid outing against the San Diego Padres. Across two innings, he allowed only one hit — a solo home run — and struck out four batters. It was the first hit and run Font has yielded all spring.
All-in-all, the right-hander has compiled a 2.25 ERA over four innings and two outings, permitting the one baserunner while accumulating six strikeouts.
Pedro Baez and J.T. Chargois are among the Dodgers relievers expected to follow Font.
Making his Cubs debut is former Dodgers right-hander Yu Darvish, who signed a six-year deal with Chicago in February after lingering on the free-market market for most of the offseason.
Darvish, a 2017 midseason acquisition for the Dodgers, was viewed as the club’s final piece to a World Series championship. Those plans didn’t come to fruition, as Darvish was tabbed with a pair of losses in the Fall Classic, including the deciding Game 7.
While Los Angeles made a strong effort to re-sign Darvish, the two sides ultimately couldn’t settle on a figure that would’ve allowed the Dodgers to stay beneath the luxury tax threshold.
After signing with the Cubs, Darvish told his former manager Dave Roberts that his main goal in 2018 is to dethrone Los Angeles.
Also expected to make his Cubs debut during the contest is former Dodgers setup man Brandon Morrow, who joined Chicago on a two-year contract.
Darvish, and perhaps Morrow, face a Dodgers lineup with several expected regulars. Also, Austin Barnes starts behind the plate for the first time this spring, and Rob Segedin makes his 2018 debut.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
DH: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
LF: Matt Kemp
RF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Logan Forsythe
C: Austin Barnes
SS: Donovan Solano
1B: Rob Segedin
Cubs lineup:
LF: Ben Zobrist
DH: Kris Bryant
1B: Anthony Rizzo
C: Willson Contreras
RF: Jason Heyward
SS: Addison Russell
2B: Javier Baez
CF: Albert Almora Jr.
3B: David Bote
