The Los Angeles Dodgers have already won a seventh consecutive series, and now are one victory away from sweeping the San Diego Padres. Doing so would mark a third sweep in a row for L.A.
The finale at Dodger Stadium is being played in front of a national audience for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Juan Soto is going to be mic’d up and the broadcast will include an in-game tribute to Vin Scully.
As for matters on the field, Tyler Anderson makes his 19th start of the season (21st game overall) and faces the Padres for a third time this year. Anderson last saw them on July 2, when he scattered six hits and allowed just one run over 6.1 innings to earn his ninth win of the season.
Anderson enters 12-1 to go along with a 2.89 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He technically already appeared in the weekend series, pinch-hitting for Freddie Freeman in the eighth inning on Friday night.
“I was hoping Tyler wouldn’t swing the bat,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Anderson facing Matthew Batten, a Padres infielder. “But I guess the competitive juices got going.”
Similar to instances where he approached a position player to pitch, Roberts surprised Anderson with pinch-hit opportunity.
“I ambushed him,” he said. “He wasn’t ready. He was having a conversation with Kersh.”
The Padres counter with Yu Darvish, who is 10-4 with a 3.30 ERA this season. Darvish fired six shutout innings against the Dodgers at home on April 23 but then allowed five runs in a July 2 outing at Dodger Stadium.
The right-hander has collected at least seven strikeouts in each of his past four starts, including a season-high 11 against the Detroit Tigers on July 27.
Prior to the game the Dodgers recalled Andre Jackson from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Yency Almonte on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow tightness.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Trea Turner
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
2B: Gavin Lux
DH: Joey Gallo
LF: Chris Taylor
CF: Cody Bellinger
Padres lineup
LF: Jurickson Profar
RF: Juan Soto
3B: Manny Machado
1B: Josh Bell
DH: Brandon Drury
2B: Jake Cronenworth
CF: Wil Myers
SS: Ha-Seong Kim
C: Austin Nola
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