The Dodgers (61-45) dropped two of three in Boston over the weekend. They started the series with a 5-2 win on Friday, but scored five runs over the next two games in 4-2 and 4-3 losses. All the Red Sox runs came off Dodger starters, as the makeshift bullpen combined for 11 1/3 shutout innings over the three games. The Dodgers have now lost 13 of their last 18 games and after getting the lead in the division back up to six games on Friday, it’s now down to four again. Today, the Dodgers open a three game set in Cincinnati before ending the roadtrip in Tampa with a new-look, post-deadline squad. The Reds have been hot, winning four in a row and eight of their last 11 games. They swept the Rays over the weekend, outscoring them 15-5 in the three games. The Reds are 6.5 games behind the Cubs and Brewers in the central and are currently only a game back of the Padres for the third and final wild card spot. This is the first matchup of these teams this season, but the Reds have had the Dodgers’ number of late. The Dodgers swept a seven-game season series against the Reds in 2022 but the Reds have taken the season series in each of the last two years, winning eight of 13 games against LA.
4:10 PM
Cincinnati
SS
Betts
CF
Friedl (L)
DH
Ohtani (L)
2B
McLain
RF
T. Hernández
SS
De La Cruz (S)
1B
Freeman (L)
LF
Hays
CF
Pages
DH
Lux (L)
LF
Conforto (L)
1B
Steer
2B
Kim (L)
C
Stephenson
3B
Rojas
RF
Benson (L)
C
Rushing (L)
3B
Marte
P
Yamamoto (R)
P
Burns (R)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the start after an annoying start last Tuesday against the Twins. He allowed five hits and one earned run with eight strikeouts over five innings, but allowed two unearned runs after a Miguel Rojas error in the second inning. The Dodgers did crawl back into the game, but Edgardo Henriquez tried throwing a ball to first and it ended up at the wall in right field and the Dodgers ended up losing 10-7. It was Yamamoto’s first time over 100 pitches since June 19 and thanks to the All-Star Break, it was also the most rest he’s gotten before a start since May 2. He’s posted a 3.64 ERA in 12 starts off five days’ rest and posted a 1.00 ERA in eight starts off six days’ rest, so hopefully as the rotation gets somewhat healthier and the Dodgers move to a six-man rotation, he continues to be more effective. Yamamoto struggled in his start in Cincinnati last May, allowing four runs and six hits in five innings. All four runs came in the third inning after Yamamoto had two outs and runners on first and second. He allowed an infield single to load the bases, a two-run single, a stolen base and another two-run single before a strikeout ended the inning. He only allowed a walk over the final two innings, but the Dodgers (shockingly) gave him very little run support and lost 4-1.
The Dodgers get their first look at Reds’ top prospect and number 2 on MLB Pipeline, Chase Burns. His first look at the Majors hasn’t gone perfectly with a 6.65 ERA in his first five starts. A lot of that damage came in his second career start in Boston, where he recorded one out and allowed five earned (and two unearned) runs. He also struggled a bit in his last start, allowing five runs (and one unearned) in 5 2/3 innings in Washington. He’s allowed 16 total runs in 21 2/3 innings over his five starts, but has also struck out 35 batters. His 35 percent strikeout rate obviously doesn’t come close to qualifying, but is the fifth-highest among starters with 20 or more innings pitched this season. He has given up a homer in four of his five starts and has walked nine batters in 16 1/3 innings in July.
Burns has a big fastball, throwing it 56.9 percent of the time and averaging 98 MPH on it. While Pipeline noted that he allowed 10 homers off his fastball in his final college season, he’s yet to allow one off the fastball in the Majors. It has a 20.4 percent whiff rate, but batters are hitting .310 off it with a .271 expected batting average. He’s thrown a slider 34.8 percent of the time and while it has a 44.4 percent whiff rate, three of the four homers he’s allowed have come off that pitch. He’s also thrown a change 6.8 percent of the time and has thrown six curveballs, but one of them did get hit out.
Dalton Rushing gets his second straight start behind the plate with Will Smith sitting again. Tommy Edman also sits, and Hyeseong Kim returns to the lineup after sitting out yesterday with a shoulder issue.
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A number of injury updates.
Max Muncy will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow in OKC. He could be back quite soon somehow. This week is possible-but-not-likely, and it’s more likely he’ll be back when the Dodgers return home next week. Blake Snell‘s still expected to start in Tampa this weekend. Enrique Hernandez hasn’t done baseball activities yet but is still not expected to miss the whole season, but Tony Gonsolin is still a ways away from throwing.
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First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM PT and will be on SportsNet LA.
