The Los Angeles Dodgers came away with a 10-3 win on Tuesday, and now on getaway day have a shot to sweep the cooled-off Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Winners in eight of their last 10 games, the Dodgers hold a 1.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West. A scuffling Arizona Diamondbacks club has taken a few steps back, facing a tough run in their schedule as they’ve fallen into third place.
First pitch on Wednesday is delayed due to the Orioles not covering the infield despite overnight rain. The originally scheduled start time was 10:05 a.m. PT.
This now marks a fourth consecutive road series the Dodgers have experienced a delay due to inclement weather. Though in this instance, it’s much more an indictment on the Orioles not being prepared than actual rain as there are sunny conditions in Baltimore on Wednesday.
As the Dodgers look to sweep the Orioles, Julio Urías gets the ball for his 14th start of the season. He enters 7-5 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, but has looked more like himself over the past two outings.
In 12 combined innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets, Urías limited them to just two runs on four hits while notching 15 strikeouts. The 26-year-old displayed a fair amount of command, signaling that his left hamstring issue is clearly behind him.
A large majority of the youthful Orioles lineup hasn’t faced Urías, which could be a plus for the lefty. In his July 14 start against the Mets, Urías tallied 11 swing and misses while facing a heavy slate of right-handed hitters.
On the year, the Orioles have been in the upper third in MLB against lefties, posting a 111 wRC+ with a noticeable 10.3% walk rate.
The Orioles send right-hander Dean Kremer to make his 20th start of the regular season. The 27-year-old owns a 10-4 record with a 4.59 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, with 100 strikeouts in 104 innings pitched.
Kremer, a former Dodgers prospect who was taken in the 2016 MLB Draft, brings a four-seam, cutter, sinker and changeup mix, adding in a curveball with a sweeper. In 19 starts, he’s received 5.16 runs of support, much of the reason Kremer’s amassed a solid pitching record.
His prior two starts have been superb, notching 18 strikeouts in 13 innings, recording a win against both the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees.
The Dodgers included Kremer in their trade package to acquire Manny Machado from the Orioles in 2018.
Having faced a trio of right-handed starts in this series, the Dodgers have relied on platoons, with both David Peralta and Jason Heyward excelling in their given roles. They are in the Dodgers lineup for the series finale, along with Will Smith and Austin Barnes both starting.
Prior to the game the Dodgers recalled Justin Bruihl and Jonny DeLuca, while optioning Nick Robertson to Triple-A Oklahoma City and putting Jake Marisnick on the 10-day injured list because of a left hamstring strain.
Dodgers lineup
2B: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
3B: Max Muncy
DH: Will Smith
LF: David Peralta
RF: Jason Heyward
CF: James Outman
SS: Miguel Rojas
C: Austin Barnes
Orioles lineup
LF: Austin Hays
RF: Anthony Santander
1B: Ryan Mountcastle
CF: Aaron Hicks
2B: Jordan Westburg
DH: Gunnar Henderson
3B: Ramón Urías
C: James McCann
SS: Jorge Mateo
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