The Los Angeles Dodgers begin a seven-game homestand on Labor Day in another matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who enter the series on a season-high 10-game winning streak. The Dodgers and Houston Astros each had 11-game winning streaks this season, while the Cleveland Indians have rattled off an MLB-best 12 games in a row.
The last time Rich Hill was on the mound he surrendered six runs on eight hits to the Diamondbacks in just 3.2 innings pitched at Chase Field. Five of the runs came in the first inning when the Diamondbacks had three extra-base hits.
Prior to that outing, Hill threw nine no-hit innings only to suffer a loss on a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. In three starts against the Diamondbacks this season, Hill is 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA.
Overall this season, he’s 9-6 with a 3.71 ERA, 3.95 FIP and 1.18 WHIP, including a 5-3 record and 3.17 ERA at home.
If the Dodgers are to snap the Diamondbacks’ winning streak they’ll need to solve Robbie Ray. He struck out 10 and limited Los Angeles to just one run on four hits over 6.2 innings in last week’s game.
Ray has double-digit strikeouts in three of his four starts against the Dodgers this season, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in those games. Ray this season is 11-5 with a 2.97 ERA, 3.86 FIP and 1.19 WHIP in 22 starts.
Charlie Culberson has joined the Dodgers and starts at shortstop in place of Corey Seager, who is in the process of completing a throwing program. Culberson batted .250/.299/.336 with 13 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 32 RBI over 108 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
He hit .299/.309/.388 with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI in 29 games with the Dodgers last season. Culberson has never faced Ray in his career.
Kiké Hernandez, who is starting in left field, is a lifetime 7-for-23 with one double, one triple, three home runs and five RBI off the southpaw. Chris Taylor is 7-for-13 with two doubles and one walk.
A.J. Pollock (home run), Brandon Drury (double) and David Peralta (triple) did the bulk of the damage against Hill last week. Paul Goldschmidt is not with the Diamondbacks as he returned to Arizona to undergo an MRI on his sore elbow.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
LF: Kiké Hernandez
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
C: Austin Barnes
RF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Logan Forsythe
SS: Charlie Culberson
P: Rich Hill
Diamondbacks lineup:
LF: David Peralta
SS: Kristopher Negron
CF: A.J. Pollock
RF: J.D. Martinez
2B: Brandon Drury
3B: Jake Lamb
1B: Adam Rosales
C: Chris Herrmann
P: Robbie Ray
