Coming off a 9-8 loss to the Texas Rangers, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to get back in the win column as they visit the rival San Diego Padres at Peoria Sports Complex.
Alex Wood makes his third Cactus League appearance and first in March. He was bumped to a Minor League game last week and hasn’t pitched in a Major League contest since Feb. 28 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Wood allowed three hits and three runs in 1.1 innings of relief against the Brewers. Prior to that, he tossed a scoreless frame in his lone start against the Chicago Cubs on Feb. 23.
The left-hander is viewed as the favorite to claim the fifth spot in the Dodgers starting rotation to open up the regular season. He returned to the organization on a one-year contract over the winter and looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2019 season.
The Padres counter with Garrett Richards, who is coming off an impressive 2020 Spring Training debut against the Brewers. In two shutout innings, he allowed just one hit with two strikeouts.
Richards was limited to only three shortened starts last September as he recovered from Tommy John surgery for most of the year. He spent the first eight seasons of his career with the L.A. Angels.
Though he was a full-participant in Sunday’s workout, Betts is again absent from the Dodgers lineup as he continues recovering from a stomach issue. The expectation is that he’ll return for Wednesday’s contest against the Brewers.
AJ Pollock, who is expected to platoon with Joc Pederson in left field this season, makes a start in center. Pederson could appear in his first Cactus League game by the end of the week.
Dodgers lineup:
2B: Max Muncy
SS: Corey Seager
CF: AJ Pollock
1B: Cody Bellinger
3B: Matt Beaty
LF: Chris Taylor
DH: Kiké Hernandez
RF: Luke Raley
C: Austin Barnes
Padres lineup:
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr.
DH: Tommy Pham
3B: Manny Machado
1B: Eric Hosmer
2B: Brian Dozier
RF: Wil Myers
CF: Trent Grisham
LF: Josh Naylor
C: Luis Torrens
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