The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their first loss of the spring, 7-1 to the Colorado Rockies, and now get an opportunity to exact some revenge at Salt River Fields on Tuesday.
They’ll do so with Julio Urias on the mound in his first start of the spring. The Dodgers remain cognizant of easing Urias into an eventual full-time role, and will once again have an innings limit in place.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Urias is scheduled to throw one or two innings, and he could continue throwing in the bullpen dependent on game usage. Last spring, Urias went 1-1 and allowed four runs on five hits in three innings pitched across three relief appearances.
Andre Ethier makes his second Cactus League start of the year in left field, and is again batting leadoff. The roulette wheel lands on Scott Van Slyke to start at first base, while Chase Utley is at second base.
Van Slyke and Utley are tied for the team lead with three RBI. Brett Eibner, acquired in a January trade with the Oakland Athletics, makes his first start. Eibner is 1-for-6 in three games off the bench, with the lone hit being the Dodgers’ first home run of the year.
Urias is opposed by left-hander Kyle Freeland, who is a non-roster invitee with the Rockies. Freeland was selected by the Rockies No. 8 overall in the 2014 Draft, and is pitching in the first spring game of his career.
Last season with Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque, Freeland went a combined 11-10 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 26 starts.
While the Dodgers missed several of the Rockies’ regulars in Monday’s game, that doesn’t hold true in the second game. Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado both have a home run on the spring and are tied for second on the team with two RBI.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Andre Ethier
C: Austin Barnes
1B: Scott Van Slyke
3B: Rob Segedin
2B: Chase Utley
CF: Brett Eibner
DH: O’Koyea Dickson
SS: Chris Taylor
RF: Henry Ramos
Rockies lineup:
CF: Charlie Blackmon
2B: DJ LeMahieu
RF: Carlos Gonzalez
3B: Nolan Arenado
1B: Ian Desmond
DH: Mark Reynolds
SS: Trevor Story
LF: Gerardo Parra
C: Tom Murphy
