The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the end of a 10-game road trip in disappointing fashion. They are mired in a four-game losing streak and face the Philadelphia Phillies without any scenario in which they can clinch the National League West.
The earliest that can occur is Friday, when the Dodgers begin a six-game homestand, their last of the regular season. On top of at-best being in position to lower their magic number to one, the Dodgers are without Corey Seager.
He fouled a pitch off his right ankle in Wednesday’s loss and though it did not force Seager to an early exit, he was sent for X-rays following the game. They came back negative but Seager is likely to miss at least a couple games.
He’s also dealing with a balky right elbow that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said is being monitored on a daily basis. Logan Forsythe starts at shortstop for the first time since Sept. 24, 2014.
Forsythe last played the position for 1.1 innings on Sept. 2 of this season, when he slid over after Chase Utley made a pinch-hit appearance and remained in the game at second base.
On the mound, Kenta Maeda makes what may be his final start of the regular season. Roberts indicated Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu will each compete for a role as relief pitcher for the playoffs.
Maeda allowed four runs on four hits, including two home runs, in just three innings of work against the San Francisco Giants in his last outing. He may have remained in the game for another inning or two, had the Dodgers not needed a pinch-hitter to take advantage of a scoring opportunity.
Maeda held the Phillies to just two runs and five hits over seven innings when he faced them at Dodger Stadium in April. In three career starts against the Phillies, he’s 3-0 with a 3.50 ERA.
Since the All-Star break, Maeda is 5-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Overall this season, the right-hander is 12-6 with a 4.21 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 1.13 WHIP.
He’ll look to slow Aaron Altherr, which seemingly no other Dodgers pitcher has managed to do. Altherr is 5-for-11 thus far in the series, with three home runs and nine RBI. He’s a career 1-for-8 with a home run, two RBI and five strikeouts against Maeda.
Rookie Mark Leiter Jr. makes his 10th start of the season and looks to help the Phillies complete a four-game sweep. The 26-year-old is 3-6 with a 4.93 ERA, 5.05 FIP and 1.29 WHIP in 26 games.
Leiter is 2-4 in six starts, with a 6.09 ERA since being inserted into the starting rotation on a permanent basis in the middle of August. He’s allowed two home runs in each of his past three starts. Leiter threw a perfect inning in relief against the Dodgers on April 28.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
RF: Yasiel Puig
LF: Curtis Granderson
2B: Chase Utley
C: Yasmani Grandal
SS: Logan Forsythe
P: Kenta Maeda
Phillies lineup:
2B: Cesar Hernandez
SS: Freddy Galvis
RF: Nick Williams
1B: Rhys Hoskins
LF: Aaron Altherr
CF: Odubel Herrera
C: Jorge Alfaro
3B: J.P. Crawford
P: Mark Leiter Jr.
