Prior to Saturday, the last time the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the San Diego Padres in a doubleheader they were swept at Dodger Stadium in 1988. Now the Dodgers need a win in the nightcap to avoid suffering the same fate.
For Los Angeles, Alex Verdugo makes his second start of the day, while San Diego has Carlos Asuaje, Cory Spangenberg and Jabari Blash pulling double duty. Verdugo singled in the afternoon affair for his first MLB hit. He’s 1-for-6 with one walk and one strikeout in two starts.
On the mound, the Dodgers hand the ball to Yu Darvish in what’s his second start since coming off the disabled list. A focus on refining his mechanics didn’t yield positive results, as Darvish battled a high pitch count and surrendered three runs on six hits, including a home run, in just five innings.
In four starts with the Dodgers, he’s 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.26 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 23 innings. Erick Aybar is a lifetime 10-for-29 off Darvish, with two doubles, two home runs, two RBI, three walks and eight strikeouts.
The Padres counter with Jordan Lyles, who went 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 33 games with the Colorado Rockies this season. Lyles’ start Saturday night is his first game with the Padres.
Andre Ethier has twice been used as a pinch-hitter since being reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, and now makes his first start of the season. Among those in the Dodgers lineup, Yasmani Grandal has fared best against Lyles, going 5-for-15 with two doubles and five RBI.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
RF: Curtis Granderson
3B: Justin Turner
C: Yasmani Grandal
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
2B: Chase Utley
LF: Andre Ethier
CF: Alex Verdugo
P: Yu Darvish
Padres lineup:
2B: Carlos Asuaje
SS: Erick Aybar
3B: Cory Spangenberg
1B: Hector Sanchez
RF: Jabari Blash
CF: Matt Szczur
LF: Allen Cordoba
C: Luis Torrens
P: Jordan Lyles
