Coming off their first series loss of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to get back on track in Tuesday’s opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks last week, and on the year, are 6-1 against them.
Walker Buehler makes his seventh start of the season and second consecutive against the Diamondbacks. He limited Arizona to just two hits over five shutout innings on Sept. 2, striking out six batters and issuing one walk.
Buehler enters with an overall 1-0 record, 3.60 ERA, 4.15 FIP and 0.97 WHIP in 30 innings pitched this season. In his career against the Diamondbacks, he is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 41.1 innings of work.
Tuesday’s start is only Buehler’s second since returning from a stint on the 10-day injured list because of a blister. “That’s one of those things that with the experience we’ve had with guys with blisters, it can kind of show its head pretty quickly, so our training staff will be on it inning to inning,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“We’ll kind of watch him in warmups and make sure it’s trending the right way, because I think the main thing is no matter what, we’re going to take care of him and look out as far as the longer view. I’d rather be more cautious than not.
“If we felt any putting him in harm’s way right now, we wouldn’t even have him start. We feel confident and we’ll go from there.”
Arizona counters with Luke Weaver, who also makes his second straight start against the Dodgers. He put forth a respectable outing, but nonetheless was tabbed with his Major League-leading sixth loss of the season, allowing two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
In eight overall starts this year, Weaver is 1-6 with a 7.44 ERA, 4.96 FIP and 1.59 WHIP over 32.2 innings. Those numbers include a pair of outings against the Dodgers in which he has posted a 7.71 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 9.1 frames.
Joc Pederson remains out of the lineup for a second consecutive game as he is on the paternity list. He missed Sunday’s finale against the Colorado Rockies for what Roberts deemed an excused, family-related absence.
The Dodgers recalled Josh Sborz in the corresponding roster move. He joins a bullpen that has hit a bit of a rough patch recently.
Mookie Betts is back in the lineup after receiving a night off. Coupled with the off day, Betts enjoyed two days of rest between games.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Corey Seager
DH: AJ Pollock
CF: Cody Bellinger
1B: Max Muncy
LF: Chris Taylor
2B: Gavin Lux
3B: Edwin Rios
C: Austin Barnes
Diamondbacks lineup
SS: Josh Rojas
2B: Ketel Marte
1B: Christian Walker
RF: Kole Calhoun
3B: Eduardo Escobar
LF: David Peralta
DH: Stephen Vogt
C: Daulton Varsho
CF: Tim Locastro
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