With the postseason on the horizon, the Los Angeles Dodgers are finishing up their penultimate regular-season series on Thursday afternoon against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers have won 12 of 18 games against the Padres this season, including the first two of this series, and thus are in position to complete sweep at Petco Park.
Clayton Kershaw takes the mound in what his final regular-season start. It is unknown what playoff game Kershaw will be pitching, but his outing is expected to be shortened a bit in preparation for that.
In 27 starts this season, Kershaw is 15-5 with a 3.15 ERA, 3.97 FIP and 1.07 WHIP with 181 strikeouts and 40 walks in 171.1 innings. He has dominated the Padres throughout the course of his career, going 20-6 with a 2.03 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 38 starts against them.
Included in that is a 1.79 ERA in 15 starts at Petco Park. However, Kershaw has struggled a bit on the road this season, posting a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts away from Dodger Stadium compared to a 2.89 ERA in 16 starts at home.
The Padres are also sending a left-hander to the mound in Joey Lucchesi, who is 10-9 with a 4.28 ERA, 4.25 FIP and 1.24 WHIP in 29 starts this season. He has struck out 152 while walking 54 in 157.2 innings.
In six career starts against the Dodgers, Lucchesi has struggled to the tune of a 1-4 record to go with a 6.67 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. That one win came this season though as he is 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA in three starts against Los Angeles in 2019.
Among the Dodgers players that have homered off Lucchesi in their careers are Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, A.J. Pollock, Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernandez and Austin Barnes. As expected, Corey Seager is not in the lineup after leaving Wednesday’s game due to left hamstring tightness.
Turner also is unavailable because of back trouble. It’s a second consecutive game he’s not starting, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn’t yet certain when he will return.
Dodgers lineup:
1B: David Freese
LF: A.J. Pollock
CF: Chris Taylor
2B: Max Muncy
SS: Kiké Hernandez
C: Will Smith
3B: Jedd Gyorko
RF: Kristopher Negrón
P: Clayton Kershaw
Padres lineup:
CF: Manuel Margot
LF: Josh Naylor
3B: Manny Machado
RF: Hunter Renfroe
1B: Seth Meijas-Brean
2B: Ty France
SS: Luis Urias
C: Austin Hedges
P: Joey Lucchesi
