With each day that passes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2018 season seemingly reaches a new low. After Wednesday night’s 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins, they dropped to 16-26 on the year and have lost six straight games.
The Dodgers look to break that streak and avoid being swept on Wednesday in an early afternoon game at Marlins Park. Kenta Maeda gets the start, coming off a rough outing against the Cincinnati Reds.
He allowed a season-high nine hits and five runs in 4.2 innings, striking out five while walking two in a loss. That dropped Maeda to 2-3 in eight games (seven starts) this season, while posting a 4.75 ERA, 3.20 FIP and 1.53 WHIP. He has 46 strikeouts compared to 13 walks in 36 innings.
Maeda’s best start of the season came on April 24 against the Marlins at Dodger Stadium. In that game, he allowed four hits and one run in six innings, striking out seven and walking just one.
The Marlins counter with one of their best young left-handed pitchers in Caleb Smith. The 26-year-old is 2-4 on the season but has yielded a 3.63 ERA, 3.22 FIP and 1.24 WHIP in eight starts while punching out an impressive 53 batters compared to 19 walks in 39.2 innings.
Smith has been much better at Marlins Park than on the road, pitching to a 2.38 ERA in four home starts compared to a 5.29 ERA on the road. Smith has recorded at least seven strikeouts in five starts but also surrendered one home run in four of his starts.
Justin Turner was originally supposed to be out of the lineup on Thursday after playing the first two games of the series, although that is no longer the case. Turner has gone 3-for-9 in the first two games of the series.
The Dodgers will be happy to see that Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto is out of the lineup. Realmuto has a hit in all 21 games he has ever played against the Dodgers, batting .392 with six home runs.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
C: Austin Barnes
3B: Justin Turner
LF: Matt Kemp
CF: Kiké Hernandez
1B: Cody Bellinger
2B: Logan Forsythe
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Kenta Maeda P
Marlins lineup:
3B: Martin Prado
2B: Starlin Castro
1B: Justin Bou
RF: Brian Anderson
LF: Derek Dietrich
SS: Miguel Rojas
CF: Lewis Brinson
C: Bryan Holaday
P: Caleb Smith
