The Los Angeles Dodgers look to improve on their 4-1-1 Cactus League record and strong play to start the spring as they travel to Maryvale for a matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday afternoon.
Clayton Kershaw gets the start for the Dodgers in what will be his first outing of the spring. Kershaw is coming off a healthy offseason and all accounts are that his arm is feeling strong, so expectations are high for the soon-to-be-32-year-old going into 2020.
Kershaw is coming off another All-Star season in which he went 16-5 with a 3.03 ERA, 3.86 FIP and 1.04 WHIP with 189 strikeouts and 41 walks in 178.1 innings across 29 games (28 starts).
He will likely throw two innings and then be piggybacked by fellow southpaw Alex Wood, who is making his second appearance of the spring after tossing a scoreless frame against the Chicago Cubs earlier in the week.
Wood is the favorite to land the fifth spot in the Dodgers’ starting rotation if he continues to prove he is healthy and throwing the ball well.
Yadier Alvarez is also among the Dodgers pitchers expected to appear in relief.
Taking the mound for the Brewers is right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who is working his way back from an oblique injury that cost him the last couple of months of the 2019 season. Woodruff was an All-Star when healthy, going 11-3 with a 3.62 ERA, 3.01 FIP and 1.14 WHIP.
He struck out 143 and walked 30 in 121.2 innings, but may be more known for taking Kershaw deep in the 2018 National League Championship Series.
Unfortunately, he is not in the lineup on Friday in favor of a designated hitter so Kershaw won’t get the opportunity to face him again, but all reports indicated that Woodruff is healthy and ready to be the Brewers’ ace in 2020. He pitched a scoreless inning in his first Cactus League outing.
Woodruff will be facing a tough Dodgers lineup that includes regulars like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, AJ Pollock, Will Smith and Gavin Lux.
Betts’ first spring with the Dodgers is off to a slow start as he is hitting .250/.222/.250 in his first three games. Meanwhile, Bellinger is picking up right where he left off in his MVP campaign by slashing .429/.500/.571 in three games.
Dodgers lineup:
RF: Mookie Betts
2B: Max Muncy
CF: Cody Bellinger
LF: AJ Pollock
C: Will Smith
SS: Gavin Lux
3B: Matt Beaty
1B: Edwin Rios
DH: DJ Peters
Brewers lineup:
SS: Brock Holt
2B: Keston Hiura
3B: Eric Sogard
1B: Justin Smoak
C: Omar Narvaez
DH: Ryon Healy
RF: Corey Ray
CF: Keon Broxton
LF: Mark Mathias
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