The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the end of their seven-game road trip needing a win to avoid a losing record and dropping the series to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Dodgers went into the weekend set at Busch Stadium on a two-game losing streak and facing a Cardinals team that had fallen five in a row. L.A. and St. Louis traded victories through the first two games and now play a rubber match on Sunday afternoon.
Clayton Kershaw takes the mound against an opponent he’s plenty familiar with. While Paul Godlschmidt is effectively the only holdover from several postseason battles, pitching in St. Louis has at times proven to be a challenge.
Kershaw in his career is 3-4 with a 4.19 ERA in nine career starts at Busch Stadium during the regular season.
Sunday’s start is Kershaw’s fifth of the season since returning from left shoulder surgery. He held the Milwaukee Brewers to one run over 5.2 innings at the start of the Dodgers’ road trip.
The left-hander enters 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA, 3.01 FIP and 1.39 WHIP so far this year. Kershaw pitched against the Cardinals twice last season, going 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA.
Sonny Gray starts for the Cardinals in what’s been a modest first season with the team. Gray is 11-7 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 22 starts. He began the year on the 15-day injured list because of a right hamstring strain and therefore did not pitch during the series at Dodger Stadium earlier this season.
Gray sees a Dodgers lineup that does not include Freddie Freeman as he deals with a swollen middle finger on his right hand after jamming it when fielding a grounder in the sixth inning on Saturday. Freeman was removed from the game in the bottom of the eighth but X-rays were negative.
Kiké Hernández is playing first base in Freeman’s absence, and Gavin Lux bats third in the lineup.
Prior to the game the Dodgers selected the contract of Ben Casparius and designated Brent Honeywell for assignment.
Dodgers lineup
DH: Shohei Ohtani
RF: Mookie Betts
2B: Gavin Lux
LF: Teoscar Hernández
3B: Miguel Rojas
CF: Kevin Kiermaier
1B: Kiké Hernández
C: Austin Barnes
SS: Nick Ahmed
Cardinals lineup
SS: Masyn Winn
DH: Willson Contreras
LF: Tommy Pham
3B: Nolan Arenado
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
2B: Brendan Donovan
RF: Jordan Walker
C: Pedro Pagés
CF: Victor Scott II
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