The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to take three of four games against the Miami Marlins over the weekend, improving their record to 26-19 on the season. They now start a stretch where they play 16 in a row and 19 of their next 22 against teams with a .500 winning percentage or better.
The Dodgers’ 10-game homestand continues with the St. Louis Cardinals rolling into town for a three-game series. Tuesday also marks the return of Logan Forsythe, who missed the past few weeks with a broken toe and hamstring tightness.
Forsythe was batting .295/.407/.341 with seven runs scored and three RBIs in 14 games before landing on the DL. He starts at third base in place of an injured Justin Turner, and bats leadoff.
The Cardinals see a familiar face in the series opener, as Clayton Kershaw gets the start. Kershaw has faced the Cardinals extensively throughout his career, particularly in the postseason.
Kershaw is 6-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 15 regular-season starts against the Cardinals, but in five postseason starts he’s 0-4 with a 6.14 ERA.
Kershaw is off to another strong start this year, with a 7-2 record, 2.15 ERA, 2.89 FIP and 0.89 WHIP. He has 62 strikeouts to eight walks over 62.2 innings pitched, and leads the National League in wins.
Opposing Kershaw is veteran right-hander Lance Lynn. The 30-year-old enters 4-2 with a 2.78 ERA, 5.02 FIP and 1.13 WHIP, 40 strikeouts and 17 walks in 45.1 innings. He missed the entire 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015, so Lynn last faced the Dodgers in June 2015.
In six career starts against Los Angeles he is 3-1 with a 4.35 ERA. Lynn’s ERA this season ranks fifth in the NL. The Dodgers will face Mike Leake, who leads the NL in ERA, on Tuesday, and the holder of the fourth-best ERA in the league in Michael Wacha on Thursday.
In addition to Forsythe, the Dodgers also welcome back right fielder Yasiel Puig, who didn’t start the past two games due to back stiffness; Puig appeared as a pinch-hitter on Sunday. He’s 4-for-6 against Lynn in his career.
Puig is tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs and ranks second with eight home runs. Yasmani Grandal looks to add to his successful month, as he’s batting .393 and has 14 of his 21 RBIs on the season during May.
In addition to Spectrum SportsNet LA, Tuesday night’s game is being telecast by ESPN without a local blackout.
Dodgers lineup:
3B: Logan Forsythe
SS: Corey Seager
C: Yasmani Grandal
LF: Cody Bellinger
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
CF: Joc Pederson
2B: Chase Utley
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Clayton Kershaw
Cardinals lineup:
CF: Dexter Fowler
RF: Stephen Piscotty
1B: Matt Carpenter
2B: Jedd Gyorko
C: Yadier Molina
3B: Jhonny Peralta
SS: Aledmys Diaz
LF: Randal Grichuk
P: Lance Lynn
