The Los Angeles Dodgers again used the longball to improve to 3-0 at Petco Park this season, but it was manager Dave Roberts’ scuffle with San Diego Padres skipper Andy Green that will likely hover over the remaining two games of the series.
Roberts received a one-game suspension, which he’s immediately serving, while Green and Alex Wood were fined an undisclosed amount.
A victory Saturday night would be the Dodgers’ third in a row and guarantee them a winning record on their five-game road trip. Rich Hill will look to do his part in a second start against the Padres this season.
Hill went five innings and allowed one run on two hits in an April 5 start at Dodger Stadium. The veteran left-hander is coming off his best outing of the season.
Despite being tabbed with the loss, Hill went seven innings, which marked the first time this year he so much as reached the sixth. He allowed three runs on four hits, though only issued two walks and struck out seven against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Hill takes the mound 4-4 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 10 starts. In what was his second start last season after being traded to the Dodgers, Hill turned in six shutout innings against the Padres, complete with eight strikeouts.
Nearly two weeks after he was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, the Padres send Dillon Overton to the mound. The left-hander yielded a 6.38 ERA, 5.43 FIP and 1.26 WHIP in nine games (one start) with the Mariners this season.
Overton went 1-2 with a 9.33 ERA in seven games (one start) with Triple-A Tacoma. He last pitched June 26 for the Padres’ Triple-A El Paso affiliate, allowing one run and five hits, including a homer, in five innings of work.
The 25-year-old was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 2013 Draft. Overton is a lifetime 1-3 with a 9.28 ERA in 16 Major League games (six starts).
Corey Seager, who returned Thursday after missing five games because of a hamstring strain, is again back in the lineup after a scheduled night off. The wheel next lands on Yasiel Puig for rest, as Kiké Hernandez makes the start in right field.
After setting a franchise record with 50 home runs last month, which was extended to 53 before the calendar turned to July, the Dodgers will look to carry forward with that power. Cody Bellinger leads the team and National League with 24 home runs.
Prior to the game the Dodgers recalled Josh Fields and optioned Mike Freeman to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
C: Austin Barnes
2B: Logan Forsythe
RF: Kiké Hernandez
CF: Trayce Thompson
P: Rich Hill
Padres lineup:
LF: Jose Pirela
CF: Mauel Margot
1B: Wil Myers
RF: Hunter Renfroe
C: Austin Hedges
2B: Carlos Asuaje
SS: Erick Aybar
3B: Chase d’Arnaud
P: Dillon Overton
