The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won a game at Dodger Stadium, it was July 4 and Hyun-Jin Ryu was throwing another gem in a season full of them.
Friday marks 15 days since then, though thanks to the All-Star break and a recent road trip to play the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers have only played three games at home in that time.
Ryu starts again Friday, and that reason alone is enough to expect the Dodgers to get back to their winning ways at Chavez Ravine. Ryu is fresh off another brilliant performance Sunday when he allowed just two runs over seven innings to the defending World Series champion Red Sox.
It also helps that the Dodgers face the Miami Marlins, by far the worst team in an otherwise very competitive National League. In fact, the Dodgers and Marlins are two of the only teams in the NL who are not fighting to move into a postseason spot or struggling to maintain their grip on one.
However, they are also on polar opposite trajectories. The Dodgers are tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in baseball at 64-38, while the Marlins at 36-58 are the only NL team currently on pace for at least 90 losses.
Former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who has held the same position with the Marlins since parting ways with L.A. after the 2015 season, sends rookie Zac Gallen to the hill.
Gallen makes just his fifth career start, with a 4.24 ERA in his first four. Ryu, meanwhile, comes in with a 1.78 ERA, by far the lowest among qualified starters in the Major Leagues.
Dave Roberts, in his fourth season after replacing Mattingly as Dodgers manager, has an unorthodox bullpen at his disposal for this series. While routine late-innings options like Julio Urias and Joe Kelly are likely not available Friday due to their extensive use after rain delays in the recent Phillies series, Kenta Maeda is.
Maeda only threw two innings before a nearly three-hour rain delay on Wednesday, so he will be an option for Roberts out of the bullpen Friday night.
Also bullpen-related, the Dodgers placed Dylan Floro on the 10-day injured list due to neck inflammation and recalled Casey Sadler from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile, Friday marks the first home game for Corey Seager, A.J. Pollock and David Freese since they returned from the injured list just during the All-Star break.
Seager returns to the lineup after sitting twice during the team’s road trip. He showed some signs of rust at the plate after missing a month due to a hamstring strain.
Curtis Granderson, who spent the second half of the 2017 season, makes another return to Dodger Stadium since leaving the organization that winter. Granderson spent part of the 2018 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers.
Dodgers lineup:
1B: Joc Pederson
LF: Alex Verdugo
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Cody Bellinger
CF: A.J. Pollock
SS: Corey Seager
2B: Kiké Hernandez
C: Russell Martin
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Marlins lineup:
SS: Miguel Rojas
LF: Curtis Granderson
1B: Garrett Cooper
3B: Brian Anderson
2B: Starlin Castro
RF: Harold Ramirez
C: Jorge Alfaro
CF: César Puello
P: Zac Gallen
