Having split the first two games of the Freeway Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim head south to meet for two more contests in their annual Interlague matchup. It also marks the start of a five-game road trip for the Dodgers.
They have dropped three consecutive games in Anaheim, dating back to 2015. Last season, the Dodgers won just one of four games against the Angels. At 19-6 during the month of June, the Dodgers own the best record in the Majors.
They sit atop the National League West standings and enter play a half-game back of the Houston Astros for the best record in baseball.
Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner are back in the Dodgers lineup, with the former missing a game due to knee/hamstring issues and the latter for a night of rest. Of note for Puig, his one-game suspension was rescinded.
Turner is batting .385/.469/.544 with 16 doubles, five home runs and 28 RBI. He continues to inch closer to logging the requisite number of plate appearances to rank among qualified leaders.
Hyun-Jin Ryu takes the mound Wednesday night on an extra day of rest thanks to Kenta Maeda’s spot start.
The southpaw surrendered just two runs on five hits and issued two walks in five innings pitched against the New York Mets in his previous outing. Ryu has thrown 16 scoreless innings in two career starts against the Angels, though last faced them in 2014.
In 13 appearances (12 starts) this season, Ryu is 3-6 with a 4.30 ERA, 5.16 FIP and 1.40 WHIP.
The Angels send out Alex Meyer for his 11th start of the season. The 6’9″ right-hander figures to test the Dodgers with plenty of velocity. Meyer only went 3.1 innings and suffered a loss in his previous start, allowing five runs on five hits.
A central theme behind Meyer’s 2017 season has been the disparity between his outings on the road and at Angel Stadium. In 10 appearances (eight starts) on the road, he is 1-6 with a 7.36 ERA and 1.80 WHIP. During those 36.2 innings pitched on the road, he has allowed 32 runs (30 earned), 31 walks and six home runs.
On the other hand, Meyer is 3-1 in nine appearances (eight starts) at home, with a 3.10 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. In 40.2 home innings pitched during those games, Meyer has surrendered just 14 runs, 21 walks and three home runs.
In 10 starts this season, Meyer is 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 1.46 WHIP.
Dodgers lineup:
1B: Chase Utley
CF: Joc Pederson
3B: Justin Turner
DH: Cody Bellinger
SS: Chris Taylor
C: Yasmani Grandal
2B: Logan Forsythe
RF: Yasiel Puig
LF: Trayce Thompson
Angels lineup:
CF: Cameron Maybin
RF: Kole Calhoun
DH: Albert Pujols
3B: Yunel Escobar
SS: Andrelton Simmons
C: Martin Maldonado
1B: Jefry Marte
2B: Danny Espinosa
LF: Ben Revere
