After completing a successful 7-2 homestand, the Los Angeles Dodgers now embark on an eight-game road trip beginning with a three-game series against Yasiel Puig and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Rich Hill gets the start on the mound in Friday’s series opener and is looking to get on track after a bit of a rough start to his season. Hill missed the first few weeks of the year due to a knee injury, and in three starts since returning, has gone 0-1 with a 4.20 ERA, 6.58 FIP and 1.33 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and three walks in 15 innings.
The first inning has been a struggle for Hill so far this season. He has a 15.00 ERA, allowing five of his seven total earned runs in the first inning.
Hill has faced the Reds 11 times in his career (nine starts) and has gone 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while striking out 55 and walking 25 in 50.2 innings.
Opposing Hill for the Reds is right-hander Anthony DeSclafani. The 29-year-old is 2-1 with a 4.17 ERA, 4.26 FIP and 1.22 WHIP with 46 strikeouts and 14 walks in 41 innings. He hasn’t pitched well at Great American Ball Park, posting a 4.80 ERA in three home starts compared to 3.81 in five starts away from Cincinnati.
The Dodgers have fared well against DeSclafani in the past. In five career starts against Los Angeles, he is 1-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. DeSclafani has 30 strikeouts and eight walks in 30.2 innings against them.
Joc Pederson, who has crushed right-handed pitching so far this season, is in his usual leadoff spot for the Dodgers. He is 4-for-9 with two home runs against DeScalfani in his career and leads all of baseball with 13 home runs against righties in 2019.
Puig is facing his former team for the second time this season. He went 3-for-12 (.250 batting average) with a home run in the three-game series at Dodger Stadium last month. Puig has largely struggled in his first season with the Reds, batting .206/.256/.368 with seven home runs and 23 RBI in 42 games.
The Dodgers won’t have to worry about facing Matt Kemp in this series after he was recently released from the Reds organization, but Kyle Farmer is starting at second base and batting sixth in the series opener.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Joc Pederson
1B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Corey Seager
CF: Alex Verdugo
2B: Kiké Hernandez
C: Austin Barnes
P: Rich Hill
Reds lineup:
CF: Nick Senzel
1B: Joey Votto
3B: Eugenio Suarez
RF: Yasiel Puig
SS: Jose Iglesias
2B: Kyle Farmer
C: Curt Casali
LF: Jose Peraza
P: Anthony DeSclafani
