The Los Angeles Dodgers look to keep it rolling on Saturday as they go for their fourth consecutive win and a series victory over the San Diego Padres.
Alex Wood makes his 11th start of the season and is in position for his second consecutive win. In his most recent outing against the Washington Nationals, Wood logged six innings of two-run ball and allowed only three hits while accumulating four strikeouts.
He was removed prior to the seventh inning with leg cramps but felt healthy enough to extend his start had the Dodgers permitted.
In 57 innings pitched this season, Wood has posted a 3.32 ERA, 2.71 FIP and 1.02 WHIP with 51 strikeouts to only nine walks. He currently sports the best strikeouts-to-walk ratio of his career at 5.67.
The Padres counter with Jordan Lyles, who makes just his fourth start of the season (17th game). He was tabbed for seven hits and four runs over 5.2 innings in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 27-year-old nonetheless is in the midst of a career year, having compiled a 3.11 ERA, 3.88 FIP and 1.01 WHIP across 37.2 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts to 11 walks.
In his lone appearance against the Dodgers this season back on April 17, Lyles tossed two shutout frames while yielding only one hit and recording one punch out.
He faces a Dodgers lineup that does not include Yasiel Puig, with Matt Kemp instead starting in right field. Puig committed a mental error in Friday’s win, and although he remained in the game, it drew the ire of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts: "Initially, it was a great play. Potentially turning a double into a single. Got to it, made a great effort play getting there, cutting the ball off. Once he didn't come up with it, he turned one sort of mistake, a physical mistake, into a mental mistake."
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) May 26, 2018
It’s unclear if Puig not being in the lineup is for disciplinary purposes or simply a night off.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
1B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Matt Kemp
C: Yasmani Grandal
CF: Cody Bellinger
2B: Logan Forsythe
LF: Joc Pederson
P: Alex Wood
Padres lineup:
LF: Travis Jankowski
2B: Jose Pirela
1B: Eric Hosmer
3B: Christian Villanueva
RF: Franmil Reyes
SS: Freddy Galvis
C: A.J. Ellis
CF: Manuel Margot
P: Jordan Lyles
