Oh hey, the Dodger lineup is exactly the same as it’s been every single night, to the point where I wonder why I even need to post it any longer. (Not that this is really a bad thing, of course.)
In more important news we finally have the bullpen health update we’ve been waiting for all along… Javy Guerra was placed on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, and Josh Wall will be recalled to take his place. It’s actually kind of an odd move, because the 15-day disabled list is almost never used in September once rosters have expanded. An oblique injury could easily end Guerra’s season and if so, moving him to the 60-day could provide the spot that Dee Gordon or maybe Ted Lilly will need, but I don’t quite get why they’d even bother disabling him if it’s not to open up the 40-man spot. It’s not like this move was needed to get Wall back up, anyway.
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Padres
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Dodgers
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RF
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Denorfia |
2B
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M.Ellis
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2B
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Forsythe |
CF
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Victorino
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3B
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Headley |
1B
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Gonzalez
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LF
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Quentin |
CF
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Kemp
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C
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Grandal
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SS
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Ramirez
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1B
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Alonso |
RF
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Ethier
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CF
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Maybin |
3B
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Cruz
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SS
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Cabrera |
C
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A.Ellis
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P
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Stults
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P
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Kershaw
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But let’s not pretend that Guerra is the bullpen arm we’re most concerned about, and while we finally have some info on Kenley Jansen, the news is mixed. The good news is, he’s not expected to be out for the season, and that’s wonderful. However, he will be out for another two weeks (returning on September 18 in Washington) and plans to have surgery this winter to correct the problem.
Clayton Kershaw takes the hill tonight attempting to become just the fifth Dodger to collect 200 strikeouts in three consecutive seasons, but it’s also fun to note who’s opposing him for San Diego – old friend Eric Stults. If you look back through the archives of this blog, you’ll note that Stults was always a favorite around here, sorely underappreciated as a back end starter type who could come up big every now and then. He was the only Dodger to toss a shutout in 2009, and threw one of four the club had the year before; when he was shipped off to Japan in March of 2010, it wasn’t without some sadness here. Since leaving, he’s bounced around from Hiroshima to Colorado Springs to Denver to Charlotte to Chicago to Tucson to San Diego, where he’s been very effective in 13 games (9 starts) for the Padres with a 2.45 ERA (3.88 FIP). With the exception of one poor game against San Francisco (of course), he’s allowed zero or one earned runs in every start.
Glad to see you back, Eric. Sorry for what (I sincerely hope) is about to happen to you.
