The Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers meet Sunday at Surprise Stadium for their second and final matchup of 2020 Spring Training. The Rangers were victorious at Camelback Ranch exactly one week ago, using a big fourth inning to notch a comeback win.
Julio Urias takes the mound for a second time this spring but in his first start. The southpaw wasn’t particularly sharp in his 2020 debut, though also had an error committed behind him, which contributed to a pair of two unearned runs scoring.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed any concern over Urias’ relief appearance and expressed confidence he would benefit from settling into a regular routine. Roberts previously said the club was hoping for Urias to become more consistent.
The Dodgers no longer have him on an innings limit and the 23-year-old has already been identified as a member of their Opening Day starting rotation.
Texas counters with Jordan Lyles, who also is pitching in his second game of the year. Lyles allowed three runs on three hits, including a homer, over three innings in a start against the San Francisco Giants.
Mookie Betts is still out of the Dodgers lineup as he continues to recover from food poisoning. Roberts initially said Betts would not return before Wednesday, but it now appears the 2018 American League MVP will play Monday against the San Diego Padres.
Justin Turner also isn’t playing despite being on an every other day schedule. Turner certainly has good reason, however, as he is in Southern California to support his wife Kourtney as she runs the L.A. Marathon to benefit their Justin Turner Foundation.
The Dodgers’ lineup does feature some regulars though, including Corey Seager, who recently discussed how nice this spring has been considering he doesn’t have to rehab an injury. He comes in hitting .278/.381/.389 with a pair of doubles in seven Cactus League games.
A pair of former Dodgers in Willie Calhoun and Tim Federowicz are in the Rangers lineup. Calhoun was the headliner of the 2017 trade deadline move that sent Yu Darvish to L.A.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: AJ Pollock
LF: Kiké Hernandez
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Edwin Rios
C: Will Smith
2B: Gavin Lux
1B: Tyler White
RF: Cody Thomas
DH: Zach McKinstry
Rangers lineup:
DH: Shin-Soo Choo
SS: Elvin Andrus
LF: Willie Calhoun
RF: Joey Gallo
3B: Todd Frazier
CF: Danny Santana
2B: Rougned Odor
1B: Greg Bird
C: Tim Federowicz
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