The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their road trip out of the All-Star break with a matchup against the red-hot Baltimore Orioles that are on a season-best eight-game winning streak.
The Dodgers just had their season-high-tying six-game winning streak snapped by Max Scherzer and the New York Mets, but have still won six of the last seven series and are 14-6 in their last 20 games.
Youth is being served Monday night as both the Dodgers and Orioles have a rookie starter on the mound.
Emmet Sheehan enters 2-0 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. The right-hander is coming off the worst start of his young career, as Sheehan allowed a season-high five runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates on the Fourth of July. Sheehan’s four walks in the no-decision were also his most in four starts for the Dodgers.
“I think I just got out of my mechanics on a few pitches and stuff started to kind of tumble,” Sheehan explained after the outing. “But after that, I felt like I made some pitches.”
Sheehan pitched in a simulated game at Dodger Stadium before the All-Star break, which included Dodgers manager Dave Roberts standing in the batter’s box to track pitches.
Baltimore counters with Grayson Rodriguez, who is 2-2 with a 7.35 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 10 starts this season. Rodriguez pitched well in his MLB debut and throughout April, but seemingly alternated good and bad outings in May.
That prompted the Orioles to option Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk, and he hadn’t been recalled until Monday’s start.
Rodriguez faces a Dodgers lineup that includes Jason Heyward, who left the series finale against the Mets because of neck stiffness. Heyward was evaluated for a potential concussion as well but cleared testing.
Freddie Freeman enters play with a 17-game on-base streak that is tied with Willy Adames and William Contreras for longest active stretch in the Majors. Freeman is batting .294 with three home runs and 16 RBI during his streak.
J.D. Martinez has a .709 slugging percentage in his career against the Orioles, which is the best all-time by any player since 1954 (minimum 250 plate appearances).
Dodgers lineup
2B: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
DH: J.D. Martinez
LF: David Peralta
RF: Jason Heyward
SS: Chris Taylor
CF: James Outman
Orioles lineup
SS: Gunnar Henderson
C: Adley Rutschman
RF: Anthony Santander
1B: Ryan O’Hearn
DH: Ryan Mountcastle
CF: Aaron Hicks
LF: Colton Cowser
3B: Ramón Urías
2B: Adam Frazier
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