The Los Angeles Dodgers return from a three-city road trip to take on the San Diego Padres in a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.
After grinding their way to a 6-3 record on the road, the Dodgers now face the Padres at home for the first time this season and only the second meeting overall. The Dodgers won two of three at Petco Park in late April and they still maintain a 1.5-game lead in the National League West standings.
With a record of 46-28, the Dodgers are without Mookie Betts while he recovers from a fractured rib, but the team remains hopeful his timeline will become clearer after he began taking dry swings on Tuesday.
The Padres are dealing with the absence of their own superstar in Manny Machado, though he avoided serious injury after spraining his ankle trying to beat out a grounder at Coors Field on June 19.
During the month of June, Dodgers’ starting pitching has been the fifth-best in Major League Baseball with a 3.31 ERA and a 3.87 FIP. They send Mitch White to the mound in the opener against the Padres.
White has been solid in the month of June with a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings over three starts. Although White hasn’t been spectacular, he has provided quality innings that have kept the Dodgers in each start.
The Padres counter with Joe Musgrove, who is 8-1 on the season with a 2.12 ERA in 85 innings. His 3.01 FIP coupled with his 5.4 percent walk rate have made him one of the premier starting pitchers in the NL and a candidate for the Cy Young award.
However, Musgrove is coming off of his worst start of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies in which he allowed six earned runs on seven hits, including two home runs. He tallied only one strikeout in that game and although it could just be an anomaly, it’s something to take note of.
The Dodgers’ offense was able to salvage a poor start to the series with the Colorado Rockies with an 8-4 win on Wednesday after slugging three home runs.
The bottom of the order continues to produce for the club and their ability to turn the lineup over and provide runners on base for Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith have been paramount as they continue to find their rhythm.
Dodgers lineup
SS: Trea Turner
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
2B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
CF: Cody Bellinger
DH: Jake Lamb
RF: Chris Taylor
LF: Gavin Lux
Padres lineup
LF: Jurickson Profar
DH: Manny Machado
2B: Jake Cronenworth
RF: Nomar Mazara
1B: Eric Hosmer
C: Austin Nola
CF: Trent Grisham
3B: Ha-Seong Kim
SS: C.J. Abrams
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