In their latest split-squad action of the spring, the Los Angeles Dodgers head to Peoria, Ariz., to take on the San Diego Padres. Friday’s matchup is the first of two Cactus League games between Los Angeles and San Diego this year.
Heading to the hill for the Dodgers is left-hander Alex Wood. Through three spring outings, including one start, Wood has posted a 3.86 ERA in seven innings pitched.
With Hyun-Jin Ryu working his way back to a full-season workload and Scott Kazmir working on a bit of everything, this could be a crucial audition for the young lefty to make the rotation once camp breaks.
Luis Avilan, Fabio Castillo and Steve Geltz are expected to pitch in relief. Toeing the bump for San Diego is Walker Lockett.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2012, Lockett missed most of the next two seasons due to injuries and had a mediocre campaign in 2015. However, the 22-year-old broke out in a big way last year, climbing all the way from Low-A to Triple-A and posting a combined 2.96 ERA in 164 innings.
Chris Taylor, who is batting a blistering .520/.647/.680 with two doubles, one triple, two RBI and eight walks, is starting at shortstop and hitting seventh. Cody Bellinger is in right field, joining Andrew Toles (left field) and Joc Pederson (center).
First pitch at Peoria Sports Complex is set for 7:10 p.m. PT, or five minutes after Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers begin play against the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Joc Pederson
LF: Andrew Toles
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
C: Austin Barnes
RF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Chris Taylor
2B: Willie Calhoun
P: Alex Wood
Padres lineup:
LF: Travis Jankowski
SS: Erick Aybar
1B: Wil Myers
RF: Hunter Renfroe
C: Austin Hedges
CF: Franchy Cordero
2B: Carlos Asuaje
3B: Allen Cordoba
P: Walker Lockett
