After falling in the series opener, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to get back on track against the San Diego Padres. The second of the four-game set at Dodger Stadium features another marquee pitching matchup between Clayton Kershaw and Yu Darvish.
The two aces faced off last week at Petco Park, combining to allow three hits and one run with 17 strikeouts. Kershaw tossed six scoreless innings en route to his third win of the season while Darvish took a hard-luck loss, giving up just one hit and one run in seven frames.
The lone run came on Kershaw working a walk with the bases loaded. After the game, the right-hander offered high praise for his former team, deeming them the best in baseball.
Darvish has now faced the Dodgers twice since pitching for them during the second half of the 2017 season. In those two starts he’s allowed a total of two runs over 14 innings to go along 19 strikeouts.
Darvish enters Friday’s outing with a 1-1 record, 2.55 ERA, 3.14 FIP and 0.81 WHIP in 24.2 innings pitched this season (four games). Though he hopes for otherwise, Darvish will be understanding if he receives a few boos from the Dodger Stadium faithful.
Kershaw carries with him a 3-1 record, 2.19 ERA, 1.51 FIP and 0.97 WHIP in 24.2 frames (four starts).
The three-time Cy Young Award winner has dominated the Padres in his career, as evidenced by his lifetime 22-7 record, 1.99 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 285 strikeouts against 79 walks across 267 innings pitched (41 starts).
The Dodgers are still without Chris Taylor and Zach McKinstry in the lineup, after both were scratched from the series opener because of lower back stiffness. Taylor is still considered day to day, but McKinstry was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain.
The Dodgers recalled DJ Peters from their alternate training site as the corresponding roster move.
Dodgers lineup
CF: Mookie Betts
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
2B: Max Muncy
1B: Edwin Rios
LF: AJ Pollock
RF: Luke Raley
C: Austin Barnes
P: Clayton Kershaw
Padres lineup
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr.
CF: Trent Grisham
3B: Manny Machado
1B: Eric Hosmer
RF: Wil Myers
2B: Jake Cronenworth
LF: Tommy Pham
C: Victor Caratini
P: Yu Darvish
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