After an off day on Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers return to action and host the San Diego Padres for the start of their final regular-season series at Dodger Stadium. In 16 previous head-to-head meetings this year, Los Angeles owns a 12-4 record against their divisional foe.
Having won seven of their last eight contests, the Dodgers hold a 2.5-game lead over the second-place Colorado Rockies in the National League West standings, with nine games remaining. They send Ross Stripling to the mound in the wake of Rich Hill being pushed back.
Stripling last took the mound on Sept. 16 in a shortened outing against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. In just 3.1 innings pitched, he was tabbed with a loss after allowing four hits and three runs while accumulating five strikeouts.
The right-hander has compiled an 8-4 record this season with a 2.77 ERA, 3.19 FIP and 1.14 WHIP over 117 innings pitched (31 games, 19 starts). With 130 strikeouts compared to 18 walks, Stripling leads the Dodgers with an impressive 7.2 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.
Stripling has enjoyed success against the Padres over the course of his career, pitching to a 2.48 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 32.2 innings of work (10 games, four starts).
The Padres counter with Eric Lauer, who has experienced growing pains in his first full Major League season. He enters with a 4.74 ERA, 4.62 FIP and 1.58 WHIP over 100.2 innings pitched in 21 previous starts.
Lauer was solid in his most recent appearance against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 15, yielding only six baserunners and two runs across five innings pitched. He received a no-decision for his efforts, as the Padres’ bullpen squandered away a potential victory.
While the rookie has struggled as a whole during his 2018 campaign, he has surprisingly dominated the Dodgers on two separate occasions. In 14.2 collective innings, Lauer has posted a minuscule 0.61 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 13 strikeouts against only three walks.
Even though the Padres have long been eliminated from postseason contention, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen cautioned that the club shouldn’t take the series lightly, urging his teammates to keep their foot on the gas pedal.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Kiké Hernandez
3B: Justin Turner
SS: Manny Machado
1B: David Freese
LF: Matt Kemp
RF: Yasiel Puig
C: Yasmani Grandal
2B: Brian Dozier
P: Ross Stripling
Padres lineup:
3B: Wil Myers
RF: Franmil Reyes
1B: Eric Hosmer
FL: Hunter Renfroe
C: Francisco Mejia
2B: Cory Spangenberg
SS: Freddy Galvis
CF: Manuel Margot
P: Eric Lauer
