It looked as if the Los Angeles Dodgers had gotten out of their recent funk, winning four straight games going into play Sunday, but after dropping their series finale against the Washington Nationals they followed that up with another loss Monday night.
Losers of two straight, the Dodgers send right-hander Yu Darvish to the mound Tuesday looking to get back on track against the Philadelphia Phillies after a disappointing series opener. Their magic number to clinch the National League West is down to three games.
Darvish was brilliant in his last start, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out five against the San Francisco Giants. The outing was much needed for Darvish as he had struggled in his previous three starts since coming off the disabled list.
In 29 starts between the Dodgers and Texas Rangers this season, Darvish is 9-12 to go along with a 4.08 ERA, 4.02 FIP and 1.21 WHIP. He has 193 strikeouts compared to 57 walks in 174.1 innings of work.
Darvish’s only start of his career against the Phillies came earlier this season while he was with the Rangers and it was a good one as he earned a win. He permitted just four hits and one run in seven innings while striking out nine.
The Phillies counter with a right-hander of their own in Aaron Nola. The 24-year-old former first-round pick has been the Phillies best starter this season, going 11-10 with a 3.60 ERA, 3.25 FIP and 1.22 WHIP in 25 starts. In 155 innings he has struck out 167 and walked 45.
A lot of Nola’s success has come at home, where he yields a 3.01 ERA in 12 starts at Citizens Bank Park, compared to 4.24 in 13 starts on the road.
Dodgers leadoff man Chris Taylor snapped an 0-for-15 streak Monday when he led off the game with an inside-the-park home run. He finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk.
Chase Utley is once again in the Dodgers lineup and playing second base against his former team. Utley is a career .292/.374/.505 hitter at Citizens Bank Park, a place he called home for almost 13 seasons with the Phillies.
As Dodgers manager Dave Roberts continues to search for an answer in left field, the wheel lands on Andre Ethier. Curtis Granderson is also in the lineup, however, starting in right field.
Darvish will have a tough task trying to slow down Phillies rookie Rhys Hoskins. The 24-year-old has 18 home runs in 38 career games, making him the fastest player ever to 18 home runs. He has gone homerless in his last four games, but before that had a stretch of six home runs in five games.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
RF: Curtis Granderson
2B: Chase Utley
C: Yasmani Grandal
LF: Andre Ethier
P: Yu Darvish
Phillies lineup:
2B: Cesar Hernandez
SS: Freddie Galvis
CF: Odubel Herrera
1B: Rhys Hoskins
RF: Nick Williams
LF: Aaron Altherr
3B: J.P. Crawford
C: Jorge Alfaro
P: Aaron Nola
