The Los Angeles Dodgers play a third consecutive game under the lights on Thursday by hosting the Seattle Mariners. The Dodgers enter with a three-game winning streak, which is their longest of the spring.
Thursday’s game is the first of two Cactus League meetings with the Mariners this year. The teams will play again Monday, March 22, for a night affair at Peoria Sports Complex.
Trevor Bauer takes the mound for his third start of the spring and with a spotless ERA. He’s logged five scoreless innings thus far and allowed just three hits. Bauer’s last outing made headlines due to his pitching with one eye closed in the first inning.
While Spring Training is centered around preparing for the regular season, the start will give Bauer another opportunity to gather information and potentially make progress toward his goal of adding more fastball velocity.
Tony Gonsolin, James Pazos, Gerardo Carrillo and Nick Robertson are all scheduled to pitch during the nine-inning game. It marks just a third time the Dodgers will have played a complete game this spring.
The Mariners counter with Chris Flexen, who was signed to a two-year contract during the offseason. Flexen spent last season in Korea but prior to that was with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019. The right-hander is a candidate to help fill out a six-man starting rotation.
Flexen allowed two runs (one earned) and had three strikeouts over two innings in his 2021 debut against the Chicago White Sox. He faces a Dodgers lineup that features several regulars, including Mookie Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner at the top.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has begun to have his everyday players in the lineup on back-to-back days with more frequency, and that has particularly applied to the likes of Betts, Seager, Turner and Gavin Lux.
In the case of Lux, the team is committed to giving him ample opportunities to take hold of the starting job at second base.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
C: Will Smith
2B: Gavin Lux
LF: AJ Pollock
DH: Matt Beaty
1B: Matt Davidson
CF: Zach McKinstry
Mariners lineup
SS: J.P. Crawford
2B: Dylan Moore
3B: Ty France
CF: Kyle Lewis
C: Luis Torrens
LF: Taylor Trammell
1B: Evan White
DH: José Marmolejos
RF: Jake Fraley
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