Life hasn’t been easy for the Los Angeles Dodgers of late but they got back in the win column in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. It snapped a three-game losing streak, and the Dodgers are now in position to get back to .500 on the season.
Alex Wood takes the mound for the night game, still in search of his first win on the season. He enters 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in five starts this season. Wood is coming off back-to-back no-decisions in which he allowed a combined four runs (two earned) in 11.1 innings.
Outside of a disastrous start on April 11 against the Oakland Athletics, Wood has had four strong outings, including three quality starts. He surrendered a single hit over eight shutout innings, while striking out five batters and issuing zero walks in his last outing against the San Francisco Giants.
Overall, Wood is 2-2 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 10 appearances (six starts) against the Giants. His last outing at AT&T Park came during the 2017 campaign, where he gave up just a hit and a walk over six innings pitched.
Wood is opposed by Johnny Cueto, who already has some success under his belt versus the Dodgers in 2018. On March 30, Cueto made his season debut at Dodger Stadium, where he delivered a spectacular outing.
In seven shutout innings, he permitted just one hit, while striking out four. Now in his 11th season, Cueto gets another early April outing against a National League West rival. In his previous outing, Cueto and his change-of-pace pitching style earned a victory in Los Angeles.
In 31 career starts at AT&T Park, Cueto has assembled a 13-7 record, 3.27 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. The 32-year-old has the respect of his Major League peers, with a unique pitching style that takes some adjusting to. In four starts this season, Cueto is 2-0 with an unbelievable 0.35 ERA, 2.21 FIP and 0.65 WHIP.
He faces a Dodgers lineup that is expected to have Matt Kemp back but Yasiel Puig is out. He was removed from Game 1 after crashing into the fence in foul territory off of right field while making a spectacular catch.
