J.D. Martinez (left groin/adductor) and Miguel Rojas (rest) are back in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Friday night for the series opener against the Miami Marlins.
The Dodgers are riding a season-high 11-game winning streak heading into their first matchup with the Marlins this season. L.A. is an MLB-best 23-8 since the All-Star break and have won 15 of 16 games during the month of August.
Martinez is looking to remain healthy after gettin scratched from the lineup on Thursday night for a fourth time since late July. His latest left groin/adductor injury was considered more minor compared to prior cases, but Martinez nevertheless remains frustrated due to not being able to determine the cause.
Meanwhile, Rojas is starting again after being given a choice from a day off in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers or first game with the Marlins. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Rojas chose the former in order to get an opportunity to play his former teammates.
On the mound, Tony Gonsolin makes his 20th start of the season and enters with a 4.24 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. The 29-year-old looked fantastic in his last outing against the Colorado Rockies, striking out six while allowing just one run over six frames.
Gonsolin’s 8-4 record despite an inflated ERA makes sense when factoring the amount of run support he has received. Gonsolin’s 6.05 runs of support per game put him in the upper tier, but the Dodgers offense faces difficult task on Friday.
The Marlins send last year’s Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara to the hill for his 25th start. Although he’s posted a 4.09 ERA on the season, a lot of Alcántara’s success has come in the form of a gem in which he tosses seven innings, allowing two or fewer.
However, when Alcántara is off from his usual self, opposing hitters have been able to scratch across multiple runs, forcing him out of games. The emphasis is there, mainly because of his ability to go deep into games, seeing as he tossed six complete games in 2022 and has already logged three this year.
The Dodgers pencil in their usual slate of left-handed hitters to counter a righty starter, with David Peralta, Jason Heyward and James Outman in the lineup.
With another two-hit performance on Thursday, Mookie Betts continues his rise towards a .300 batting average on the season. In the month of August, he’s hit a .410/.471/.705 with four home runs 13 RBI and 17 runs scored.
Dodgers lineup
2B: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
DH: J.D. Martinez
LF: David Peralta
RF: Jason Heyward
CF: James Outman
SS: Miguel Rojas
Marlins lineup
DH: Jorge Soler
2B: Luis Arraez
1B: Josh Bell
CF: Jazz Chisholm Jr.
3B: Jake Burger
LF: Bryan De La Cruz
RF: Jesús Sánchez
C: Jacob Stallings
SS: Joey Wendle
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