The Los Angeles Dodgers have started their road trip in impressive fashion and now can complete a sweep of the Washington Nationals. Doing so would extend the Dodgers’ winning streak to four games and give them the second-most victories in the National League.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mound for his sixth start of the season that once again comes on extra rest as the Dodgers remain committed to easing him into an MLB schedule.
Yamamoto allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings against the New York Mets last week. The outing represented Yamamoto’s longest start of the year. He also set a career high with nine strikeouts.
The right-hander enters 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. The bulk of Yamamoto’s troubles have come in the first inning of starts, when he has a 12.60 ERA.
“When he’s going well, I think, like any pitcher, he’s getting ahead in the count,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And he’s sequencing his pitch mix. He’s a four-pitch guy, and so when he’s going well, he’s getting ahead and he’s putting hitters away.”
The Nationals counter with MacKenzie Gore, who like Yamamoto, did not start when the Nationals faced the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium last week.
Gore is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Gore is coming off a short start that saw him allow three runs to the Houston Astros.
The left-hander struggled when he faced the Dodgers last September, giving up four runs on six hits, including three homers, over just four innings.
Due to a southpaw being on the mound, the Dodgers lineup includes several of their platoon bats and Austin Barnes also is starting. With that, Teoscar Hernández is moved up to the cleanup spot, where he’s often hit against left-handers.
Meanwhile, the Nationals welcome back Keibert Ruiz from a rehab assignment. Ruiz had yet to play in any of the matchups between the Nationals and Dodgers this season.
Dodgers lineup
2B: Mookie Betts
DH: Shohei Ohtani
1B: Freddie Freeman
RF: Teoscar Hernández
3B: Kiké Hernández
CF: Andy Pages
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Miguel Rojas
C: Austin Barnes
Nationals lineup
SS: CJ Abrams
DH: Jesse Winker
1B: Joey Meneses
2B: Luis García Jr.
C: Keibert Ruiz
RF: Joey Gallo
LF: Eddie Rosario
3B: Nick Senzel
CF: Jacob Young
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