After stringing together five consecutive wins, the Los Angeles Dodgers have hit the skids and lost three straight. They were shut out Thursday night by the San Diego Padres, who chased Hyun-Jin Ryu in the fifth inning of his first start since October 2014.
Friday’s contest comes with added intrigue as the Dodgers called up Andrew Toles from Triple-A Oklahoma City. He takes the roster spot of Carlos Frias, who threw four scoreless innings to give the bullpen a needed night off.
The 24-year-old Toles is immediately being thrown into the mix as he starts in center field and bats eighth. He gives Trayce Thompson a night off after he started nine consecutive games. The roster move also gives the Dodgers a four-man bench after they played with just three in the series opener.
Scott Kazmir is tasked with keeping a resurgent Padres offense in check. He’s coming off six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts against the Colorado Rockies, benefitting from a change in his pregame routine.
The southpaw is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in two starts (11.2 innings pitched) against the Padres this season. The outings have been drastically different, with Kazmir throwing six shutout innings on April 5, then allowing five runs on three hits and walking a career-high seven batters on May 20.
Both starts were at Petco Park. Overall this season, Kazmir is 7-3 with a 4.37 ERA, 4.33 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. Kazmir’s 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings is his highest mark since his 2008 All-Star season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dodgers face Andrew Cashner, who enters 3-6 with a 4.42 ERA, 4.72 FIP, and 1.44 WHIP. He has plenty of experience against Los Angeles and has suffered multiple tough-luck losses.
Cashner is just 1-6 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 22 appearances (11 starts) against the Dodgers, including a 1-2 record, 3.03 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in nine games (four starts) at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers tagged Cashner for five runs on six hits in just four innings pitched at Petco Park on April 6, with the right-hander taking the loss.
In 37 career plate appearances against Cashner, Adrian Gonzalez is 11-for-32 with four home runs, six RBIs and five walks. Justin Turner has also enjoyed success off the right-hander, going 5-for-8, with two doubles and one RBI.
Dodgers lineup:
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
RF: Yasiel Puig
C: Yasmani Grandal
LF: Howie Kendrick
CF: Andrew Toles
P: Scott Kazmir
Padres lineup:
CF: Melvin Upton Jr.
1B: Wil Myers
RF: Matt Kemp
3B: Yangervis Solarte
C: Derek Norris
SS: Alexei Ramirez
LF: Alex Dickerson
2B: Adam Rosales
P: Andrew Cashner
