Winners in five of their last six games, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to defeat the Washington Nationals on Sunday night to notch back-to-back series wins. The 5 p.m. game is being nationally televised by ESPN.
Alex Wood makes his fifth start, as he is still in search for his first win of the season. For the year, the left-hander has compiled a 3.91 ERA, 1.93 FIP and 0.74 WHIP with 22 strikeouts to just one walk over 13 innings pitched.
Wood looks to replicate the success he enjoyed in his previous outing against the San Diego Padres. He allowed just one run on two hits over 5.1 innings and accumulated seven strikeouts.
In his career against the Nationals, Wood owns a 2.51 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 61 innings with a 10.2 strikeouts per nine ratio.
The Nationals counter with Jeremy Hellickson, who makes just his second start with the club after signing a contract at the end of Spring Training.
In his lone start against the New York Mets, Hellickson yielded eight baserunners and two earned runs over 4.2 innings with three strikeouts. The right-hander owns a lifetime record of 0-1 at Dodger Stadium (four starts), posting 6.88 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 17 innings with 19 strikeouts.
He faces a Dodgers lineup that includes Joc Pederson for a third consecutive game. It’s the first time this season that Pederson has started three games in a row. Although he remains in the lineup, Chris Taylor is back in center field after playing second base.
Matt Kemp will not have started in two of the three games against the Nationals. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Saturday’s win. Yasmani Grandal enters play with a 10-game hitting streak, batting .350/.447/.600 with four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI during the stretch.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
C: Yasmani Grandal
1B: Cody Bellinger
LF: Joc Pederson
RF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Chase Utley
3B: Max Muncy
P: Alex Wood
Nationals lineup:
SS: Trea Turner
2B: Howie Kendrick
RF: Bryce Harper
1B: Ryan Zimmerman
CF: Michael A. Taylor
LF: Moises Sierra
C: Pedro Severino
3B: Wilmer Difo
P: Jeremy Hellickson
