The Los Angeles Dodgers have hit the home stretch in their Cactus League schedule, with only four games remaining in Arizona, including Sunday’s matchup with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers return to Los Angeles to play a three-game exhibition Freeway Series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from March 31-April 2. Kenta Maeda looks to wrap up a successful first camp with the Dodgers as he takes the mound Sunday for his fifth start of the spring.
Maeda is coming off of throwing five innings against the Seattle Mariners in which he allowed two runs on four hits and had five strikeouts. The right-hander again received extra rest between outings, though this time it’s somewhat due to a built-in off day.
Overall this spring, Maeda is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 13.2 innings pitched. He’s totaled 13 strikeouts to four walks, and recorded multiple strikeouts in each of his starts.
One change for Maeda on Sunday is it marks his first time batting in a game as the Dodgers are forgoing a designated hitter. The Japanese native was a lifetime .147/.174/.200 with two home runs, one triple, 15 doubles and 27 RBIs in 509 plate appearances over eight seasons with the Hiroshima Carp.
Luis Avilan and Pedro Baez are scheduled to follow Maeda. The Dodgers also have Minor-League relievers Isaac Anderson, Alex Burgos, Grant Dayton and Michael Johnson in uniform. Alfredo Simon starts for the Reds in just his second Spring Training outing.
The right-hander had four strikeouts over three scoreless innings in his previous start. Simon is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and nine strikeouts in four career regular-season games (two starts) against the Dodgers. He last faced them during an All-Star season in 2014.
One night after starting behind the plate, Austin Barnes is at second base. That moves Chase Utley over to third base, to give Justin Turner a day off. Utley is the primary backup at third base with Alex Guerrero (left knee), Kiké Hernandez (side) and Howie Kendrick (left calf tightness) all nursing an injury.
The Dodgers get their first look at Jose Peraza and Scott Schebler since including the prospects in a three-team trade with the Reds and White Sox last December. Ivan De Jesus Jr., taken by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2005 draft, is also in the Reds lineup.
Sunday marks the lone Cactus League matchup between the Dodgers and Reds this year. Los Angeles won the 2015 season series, 6-1, taking three of four games at Dodger Stadium and sweeping a three-game set in Cincinnati. The two clubs won’t meet again until a three-game series in Los Angeles in May.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Carl Crawford
CF: Trayce Thompson
3B: Chase Utley
RF: Scott Van Slyke
C: A.J. Ellis
1B: Rob Segedin
2B: Austin Barnes
SS: Charlie Culberson
P: Kenta Maeda
Reds lineup:
2B: Jose Peraza
CF: Jake Cave
1B: Joey Votto
3B: Adam Duvall
RF: Jay Bruce
LF: Scott Schebler
SS Ivan De Jesus Jr.
C: Tucker Barnhart
P: Alfredo Simon
