The Los Angeles Dodgers are gearing up for the second game of a three-game homestand against the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers are getting back another key player in Shohei Ohtani, while Josue De Paula is optioned down to Triple-A.
Dodgers Lineup
1. Mookie Betts, SS
2. Shohei Ohtani, DH
3. Will Smith, C
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B
5. Teoscar Hernandez, LF
6. Kyle Tucker, RF
7. Andy Pages, CF
8. Max Muncy, 3B
9. Tommy Edman, 2B
The Dodgers are facing a lefty in Robbie Ray, so they’re leaning on their lineup with righties at the top.
With Ohtani just coming back from the injured list and Mookie Betts the hottest hitter on the team, Dave Roberts chose to play the matchup and not have Ohtani lead off.
Roberts has said Ohtani may not lead off against lefties, and true to his word, the Dodgers skipper pulled the trigger.
Additionally, Pages returned to the lineup for a second straight game, showing the team’s confidence in his ability to handle a somewhat normal workload.
Will Smith, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez are the three key names to watch in the lineup.
Who is pitching for the Dodgers?
The Dodgers get Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, the ace who tends to do well against the Padres.
He faced Yamamoto on the fourth of July, striking out 10 batters and allowing no runs over seven innings.
Over his last seven games, Yamamoto has been stellar, with a 1.79 ERA over his last 45.1 innings. He also had 57 strikeouts and 12 walks.
2 Responses
On my mind, Shohei should have been in the 2nd or 3rd in the line up all the time. Batting lead off did not afford him the opportunity to drive in more runs.
If that backend hits the way they are capable of hitting, the Dodgers are going to be tough. I still thill Ohtani should bat 3 rd. Him hitting RBIs is more important than him scoring runs. If Sasaki is the closer and he pitches way he did last postseason. Dodgers are going to be tough. Diaz should be setup man! Don’t say Scott should be given benefit of doubt. He has brown way to many to be dependent on