The Los Angeles Dodgers are facing the St. Louis Cardinals to avoid a sweep, and they will be without their best player on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd.
The Dodgers are resting Shohei Ohtani for the series finale, giving him a day off after he looked off at the plate on Wednesday and has overall struggled to produce.
Since August 18th, he’s 7-for-51 with 20 strikeouts, and his at-bats don’t look totally competitive, with a ton of whiffs and poor pitch selection for someone who punishes mistakes.
Ohtani has been battling left knee soreness and a bicep issue from his pitching workload, and after his pitching return was canceled, his short-term outlook as a two-way player is unclear.
Dodgers’ Lineup vs. Cardinals
1. Tommy Edman, CF
2. Mookie Betts, SS
3. Teoscar Hernandez, LF
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B
5. Will Smith, C
6. Miguel Rojas, 2B
7. Kyle Tucker, RF
8. Alex Call, DH
9. Kike Hernandez, 3B
Against a lefty, the Dodgers are rolling out their righty-heavy lineup. Alex Call gets an odd designated hitter start, while Miguel Rojas factors into the platoon at second base, along with Kike Hernandez at third base.
Will Smith is back in the lineup after a day off, while Teoscar Hernandez moves all the way up to the three-hole spot.
The Dodgers are coming off a game where they went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position, and that will be what everyone is watching, aside from another electric start from Tarik Skubal.
Who is pitching for the Dodgers?
The Dodgers get Mr. Skubal in a game that they really need to win. The southpaw is coming off two great starts, and adding a third straight one with amazing stuff is exactly what he and the team need.
The bullpen may be a bit down too, which will force Skubal to be efficient and provide some length.
