The Los Angeles Dodgers have dropped a series opener to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a second consecutive time and are mired in a three-game losing streak for a fourth time this season, but see the return of Cody Bellinger.
He was activated off the 10-day disabled list, is starting at first base and batting cleanup. The Dodgers went 4-5 without Bellinger, and need a win Wednesday to avoid their first four-game losing streak and dropping a second straight series.
They face Robbie Ray in his second start since spending nearly a month on the disabled list after suffering a concussion. In his return, Ray surrendered just one run on two hits, issued two walks and collected nine strikeouts over five innings pitched against the New York Mets.
He’s faced he Dodgers three times this season, going 1-0 with a 3.63 ERA. The win came April 22 at Chase Field and despite Ray allowing five runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. The southpaw allowed two runs (one earned) in six innings his start prior, which was also against the Dodgers.
The southpaw last faced them July 6 at Dodger Stadium, throwing six innings of one-run baseball. He has 29 strikeouts in 17.1 innings across his three starts against the Dodgers, twice reaching double-digits.
Overall this season, Ray is 10-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 154 ERA+ and 1.47 WHIP, though only 4-4 with a 4.87 ERA in 10 home starts. He snaps a string of 11 straight games in which the Dodgers faced a right-handed starter.
Chris Taylor, who is batting .338/.394/.619 with 13 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 27 RBIs in 29 games since the All-Star break, is 6-for-10 with two doubles against Ray. Kiké Hernandez is 7-for-20 with a double, triple, three home runs, five RBIs and four walks.
Hernandez again starts at shortstop in place of Corey Seager, who the team says is nursing a sore right elbow. Seager proclaimed it to be 100 percent.
On the mound, the Dodgers hand the ball to Hyun-Jin Ryu making the start. In 10 starts since 10 starts since June 11, he’s 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA and 54 strikeouts against 17 walks. The Dodgers have gone 9-1 during that span.
The 30-year-old has three scoreless outings and another with just one run allowed in his last five starts. Ryu is a career 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in eight starts against the Diamondbacks, and has yet to face them this season.
Paul Goldschmidt is a lifetime 8-for-19 off the southpaw, with two doubles, one home run and five RBIs. A.J. Pollock is 6-for-19 with one double, one triple, two RBIs and three walks. They combined to go 3-for-8 with a home run (Pollock’s), three runs scored and three RBIs in the series opener.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
SS: Kiké Hernandez
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
2B: Logan Forsythe
RF: Yasiel Puig
C: Austin Barnes
LF: Curtis Granderson
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Diamondbacks lineup:
LF: David Peralta
3B: Adam Rosales
CF: A.J. Pollock
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
RF: J.D. Martinez
2B: Brandon Drury
SS: Ketel Marte
C: Chris Herrmann
P: Robbie Ray
