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Spring Training Preview: Dodgers Get First Look At Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers face the San Diego Padres for a second and final time in Spring Training as they meet at Peoria Sports Complex. L.A. previously suffered a 7-6 loss to San Diego nearly two weeks ago.

However, that afternoon matchup at Camelback Ranch did not feature many Padres regulars. Now the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are in the lineup to face Dustin May.

The right-hander is making his second Cactus League start and third overall appearance of the spring. The Dodgers have not publicly defined what role May will have come the regular season, but it appears likely to be out of the bullpen if he is not optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

May is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and four strikeouts five innings pitched so far in Spring Training. He’s focused on throwing breaking balls to left-handed batters and also striking the pitch with more frequency in general.

San Diego counters with Ryan Weathers, who is appearing in his fourth game and making a second start. Weathers’ spring debut was as a starter but two relief appearances followed. He’s 1-0 with a 5.41 ERA this spring.

Weathers faces a Dodgers lineup that includes Chris Taylor, AJ Pollock, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Will Smith and Gavin Lux. Each of whom are expected to play on a near-every day basis during the regular season.

Bellinger is in the lineup for the first time since hitting a home run on Thursday. His new batting stance included a tweak to not be as open and thus it resembled Bellinger’s positioning from his 2017 Rookie of the Year season.

Dodgers lineup

2B: Chris Taylor
LF: AJ Pollock
3B: Justin Turner
CF: Cody Bellinger
C: Will Smith
SS: Gavin Lux
1B: Matt Davidson
RF: Matt Beaty
P: Dustin May

Padres lineup

LF: Tommy Pham
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr.
3B: Manny Machado
CF: Jurickson Profar
RF: Wil Myers
1B: Jake Cronenworth
2B: Ha-Seong Kim
C: Luis Campusano
P: Ryan Weathers

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com