One day after facing the Chicago Cubs for the first time since the 2017 National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers now head to Tempe Diablo Stadium for their first Cactus League matchup against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Clayton Kershaw makes his third start of the spring, and he’s looking to extend his shutout work. In his previous outing against the Chicago White Sox, the left-hander yielded just two baserunners across two innings with two strikeouts.
Furthermore, Kershaw has posted a minuscule 0.67 WHIP across three innings this spring. His start Wednesday comes with added intrigue as Shohei Ohtani is batting seventh as the designated hitter.
Joe Broussard, C.C. Lee and Brock Stewart are among the Dodgers relievers slated to follow Kershaw. Anaheim’s lineup resembles one that could be seen in the regular season, as it includes Ian Kinsler, Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Albert Pujols.
The Angels counter with Garrett Richards, a talented right-hander who has struggled to stay on the field in recent seasons. Since 2016, Richards has logged just 62.1 innings over 12 appearances. His outing against the Dodgers will be Richards’ third of the spring.
In his last start against the Chicago Cubs, the 29-year-old allowed just three baserunners over three innings, recording three strikeouts. All-in-all, Richards has compiled a 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP thus far with five strikeouts to two walks across two starts this year.
He draws a Dodgers lineup that features Andrew Toles, Yasmani Grandal and Cody Bellinger. After a slow start at the plate, Grandal has heated up of late. He’s 3-for-8 with one double, two home runs and three RBI in his last three games.
Kiké Hernandez is one of a handful of Dodgers who have swung the bat well all spring, as he enters 4-for-11 with two doubles, one triple, one home run, three RBI and four walks. Hernandez’s start in center field is the first time he’s played the outfield this year.
Dodgers lineup:
DH: Chase Utley
RF: Andrew Toles
C: Yasmani Grandal
1B: Cody Bellinger
LF: Joc Pederson
2B: Logan Forsythe
CF: Kiké Hernandez
SS: Donovan Solano
3B: Rob Segedin
Angels lineup:
2B: Ian Kinsler
CF: Mike Trout
LF: Justin Upton
1B: Albert Pujols
RF: Kole Calhoun
3B: Zack Cozart
DH: Shohei Ohtani
C: Rene Rivera
SS: David Fletcher
