The Los Angeles Dodgers were set to face left-hander Blake Snell and a pair of righties in Joe Musgrove and Michael Wacha during their three games against the San Diego Padres this weekend, but they will now see two southpaws in the series.
The Padres pushed Michael Wacha back from Sunday to Monday against the Kanas City Royals, and Ryan Weathers now is scheduled to make the start against the Dodgers in the series finale. Weathers is currently at the Triple-A level, so the Padres will need to make a roster move prior to the game.
San Diego made a decision to give their starters extra rest rather than having pitchers go on four days’ rest. But their shuffling of the rotation may also be due to the Dodgers’ struggles against left-handed pitching.
Entering the series, the Dodgers have been one of the worst offenses in baseball against southpaws, hitting .201/.298/.410 with a 95 wRC+ in 404 plate appearances. On the other side, the Dodgers have given righties a lot of trouble, ranking second in offensive production and batting .244/.337/.465 with a 119 wRC+.
Weathers has faced the Dodgers four times during his career, posting a 3.95 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. He last faced L.A. on September 21, 2021, when he gave up five earned runs over three innings with just two strikeouts and three walks.
As for Wacha, he has struggled mightily versus the Dodgers, going 1-5 with a 7.54 ERA in eight appearances. He last faced them in 2019, however, and he has since become a more effective pitcher.
Weathers has appeared in 18 innings for the Padres this season, posting a 2.50 ERA, 3.81 FIP and 1.11 WHIP, along with averaging a meager 5.50 strikeouts per nine but an impressive 2.50 walks per nine.
With Triple-A El Paso, Weathers was finding the opposite results, striking out nine batters per nine innings while walking nearly eight per nine. Still, he did no allow a run in his eight innings despite his 4.61 FIP.
Freeman confident Dodgers will solve issues against lefties
Despite the Dodgers’ ongoing issues, the offense has strung together a few productive showings against left-handed starters, and Freddie Freeman believes that’s a sign of what is to come.
In the series opener on Friday, the Dodgers defeated Snell, who allowed two runs over six innings while giving up four hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
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