The Los Angeles Dodgers went into the season not having lost three games in a row since August 2019, but have done so three separate times this year.
They enter play Saturday against the L.A. Angels mired in a season-worst four-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Angels are fresh off snapping a five-game losing streak with a 9-2 win in the Freeway Series opener.
The Dodgers look to end their skid behind Clayton Kershaw taking the mound on short rest. He does so after throwing 39 pitches in just one inning on Tuesday. The outing marked the shortest start of Kershaw’s career.
Kershaw getting the ball in the second game against the Angels, and Trevor Bauer starting Sunday allows the Dodgers to delay a potential bullpen game. “He feels good about it, we feel good about it,” manager Dave Roberts said of bringing the left-hander back on three days’ rest.
Kershaw is 4-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in seven starts this season. He’s a lifetime 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA across six starts at Angel Stadium.
The Angels counter with Dylan Bundy, who has yet to earn a win this season. He’s 0-3 with a 4.00 ERA despite having held opponents to three runs or fewer in five of six starts. Bundy leads the Angels pitching staff in innings pitched and has gone at least six frames in all but one outing.
The Dodgers made the expected roster move of replacing a relief pitcher with a position player by optioning Edwin Uceta and recalling DJ Peters. A second could be required if AJ Pollock needs to go on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
“It’s not, right now, an IL situation,” Roberts said after the loss on Friday. “We’ll see how he comes in and how he feels. … Our hope is feels a little bit better and going forward. Right now it’s a hamstring strain, Grade 1, and we’ll evaluate [Saturday].”
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Max Muncy
DH: Will Smith
CF: Chris Taylor
LF: Matt Beaty
2B: Gavin Lux
C: Austin Barnes
Angels lineup
2B: David Fletcher
DH: Shohei Ohtani
CF: Mike Trout
LF: Justin Upton
1B: Jared Walsh
SS: Jose Iglesias
RF: Taylor Ward
3B: Jose Rojas
C: Kurt Suzuki
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