Fresh off a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their homestand with the opener of a four-game series against the New York Mets.
The teams met at Citi Field last week, with L.A. taking all three contests and outscoring New York, 22-10. The Mets snapped a five-game losing streak with Wednesday’s victory over the San Francisco Giants in 12 innings, helping the Dodgers gain ground in the division.
At 75-46, L.A. trails San Francisco by only three games in the National League West standings with 41 remaining on their schedule. New York, at 60-60, also has some work to do as they are 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
Corey Knebel tries his hand as an opener as the Dodgers once again rely heavily on their bullpen. “It’s going to be all hands on deck, so there’s no bulk guy,” manager Dave Roberts said.
L.A. has opted for several bullpen games in the past week, with the most recent two being opened by Justin Bruihl. Andre Jackson served as the bulk pitcher in the first contest but he has since been optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Mitch White followed Bruihl in Wednesday’s contest against the Pirates, and he exceeded expectations by tossing a career-high 7.1 scoreless innings that not only helped the Dodgers earn a 9-0 win, but gave the bullpen a much-needed breather as well.
The Mets send Taijuan Walker to the mound for his 23rd start of the season. He has struggled mightily in the second half but is coming off a solid outing against the Dodgers on Aug. 14.
In 6.2 innings of work, Walker allowed only one run on two hits and collected eight strikeouts. For the year, he owns a 7-7 record, 3.75 ERA, 4.38 FIP and 1.18 WHIP in 117.2 innings pitched.
Prior to the game the Dodgers reinstated Victor Gonzalez from the 10-day injured list and optioned White to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Dodgers lineup
2B: Trea Turner
1B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
SS: Corey Seager
C: Will Smith
LF: AJ Pollock
RF: Chris Taylor
CF: Cody Bellinger
P: Corey Knebel
Mets lineup
CF: Brandon Nimmo
2B: Jeff McNeil
1B: Pete Alonso
RF: Michael Conforto
3B: J.D. Davis
LF: Dominic Smith
SS: Jonathan Villar
C: Patrick Mazeika
P: Taijuan Walker
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