After splitting four games with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves part of a muddied National League West picture early into the 2023 season. It includes the Colorado Rockies being part of a four-way tie for first place with a 2-2 record.
The Dodgers face the Rockies in a short series at Dodger Stadium, then head on the road for another look at the Diamondbacks, and to play the San Francisco Giants (1-2), who enter Monday as the only team in the division that doesn’t hold a 2-2 record.
L.A. settled for a series split with the Diamondbacks despite leading the NL with a +13 run differential. Starting pitching has been the backbone of their team thus far, with the group allowing just four earned runs over 25 innings thus far.
Michael Grove now looks to extend that success in his 2023 debut. Grove initially was poised to begin the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City but got added to the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster because Ryan Pepiot suffered a strained left oblique.
Grove went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across six starts during Cactus League. He was 1-0 with a 4.60 ERA in seven games (six starts) for the Dodgers last season.
The Rockies counter with Ryan Feltner, who is entering his second full season and third overall with the team. The right-hander appeared in 20 games (19 starts) last year, going 4-9 with a 5.83 ERA and 1.41 WHIP.
Feltner’s only relief appearance came against the Dodgers, when he allowed three hits and issued two walks over 3.1 scoreless innings. He later started against L.A., holding them to two runs over six innings to earn a win at Dodger Stadium during the final series of the regular season.
That outing coincided with Grove’s last time pitching in 2022 as well. He too logged five innings and allowed four runs on six hits, including two homers, in a no-decision.
Max Muncy is back in the Dodgers lineup after missing one game due to being struck in the midsection by a grounder.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Mx Muncy
DH: J.D. Martinez
LF: James Outman
2B: Miguel Vargas
CF: Jason Heyward
SS: Chris Taylor
Rockies lineup
LF: Jurickson Profar
RF: Kris Bryant
DH: Charlie Blackmon
1B: C.J. Cron
2B: Ryan McMahon
3B: Mike Moustakas
C: Elias Díaz
CF: Harold Castro
SS: Alan Trejo
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