The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their recent hot streak, proving that neither interleague play with a designated hitter on an ‘opener’ would slow them down as they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in their series opener at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.
They now go for the quick two-game sweep over the Rays and send left-hander Rich Hill to the mound to do so.
Hill is coming off his best start of the season, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just two hits with 10 strikeouts in a win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Overall in four starts this season, Hill is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 4.61 FIP and 1.05 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and three walks in 21 total innings. He has faced the Rays 11 times in his career (two starts) and has gone 2-0 with a 4.82 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and seven walks in 18.2 innings.
The Rays are once again going with an opener to oppose Hill in right-hander Ryne Stanek. He has appeared in 19 games this season (12 starts), posting a 3.70 ERA, 3.62 FIP and 1.07 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and eight walks in 24.1 innings.
Stanek has actually done extremely well when opening games for Tampa Bay. He has pitched to a 1.93 ERA in his 12 starts (18.2 innings) compared to a 9.53 ERA in his seven relief appearances (5.2 innings). The Rays will likely go to a left-handed pitcher after Stanek throws an inning or two as they did on Tuesday.
Matt Beaty is in the lineup as the designated hitter once again for the Dodgers. If the Rays go to a left-handed pitcher after Stanek though, David Freese will likely replace him the second time through the order as was the case on Tuesday.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Joc Pederson
1B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Corey Seager
C: Russell Martin
CF: Alex Verdugo
DH: Matt Beaty
2B: Kiké Hernández
Rays lineup:
DH: Avisail Garcia
LF: Tommy Pham
1B: Ji-Man Choi
SS: Willy Adames
3B: Daniel Robertson
CF: Kevin Kiermaier
C: Travis d’Arnaud
RF: Guillermo Heredia
2B: Brandon Lowe
