The Dodgers entered Sunday with a chance to finish off a sweep of the Giants, but they’ll have to do it without Kyle Tucker.
Los Angeles left Tucker out of the lineup after he was forced out of Saturday’s win early. He fouled a ball off his shin and departed shortly after. Manager Dave Roberts had expected Tucker to be back in the lineup Sunday, but the outfielder was not ready to go.
With Tucker sidelined, the Dodgers are piecing together a bullpen game. Jack Dreyer gets the first crack on the mound, making his second start of the season. Through 63 appearances, he owns a 3.19 ERA with 68 strikeouts across 59.1 innings.
Emmet Sheehan is also available and could handle the bulk of the work for Los Angeles if needed.
The lineup still has plenty of familiar names near the top. Mookie Betts leads off at shortstop, with Tommy Edman batting second in center field. Teoscar Hernandez hits third in left field, and Freddie Freeman is in his usual cleanup spot at first base.
Behind them, Miguel Rojas is at second base and hitting fifth, while Max Muncy drops to sixth at third base. Josue De Paula stays in the designated hitter role, followed by Kiké Hernandez and Hunter Feduccia to complete the order.
On the other side, the Giants will turn to left-hander Matt Wilkinson. It will be his seventh appearance of the season, and he comes in with a 4.58 ERA over 19.2 innings. Wilkinson has struck out 12 batters in that span.
The rookie had trouble in his first run as a starter, then moved back to relief for his last two outings and kept opponents off the board. The Dodgers will try to end that scoreless stretch when the game starts at 1:10 p.m. PT.
In Other News...
Kyle Tucker Just Gave Dodgers Fans A Scare They Couldnt Ignore
Kyle Tucker gave Dodgers fans a brief jolt during the game against the Giants when he fouled a pitch off his right knee and had to leave the field. The Dodgers trainer called the move precautionary, and Tucker was later seen on the bench smiling even as he favored the knee, which helped calm the immediate worry around a player who has been swinging the bat well lately.
For a Dodgers team looking to keep its lineup humming, any moment involving Tucker is going to draw attention. His recent offensive run has made him one of the more reliable presence in the lineup over the last 15 games, so even a short scare like this was enough to put the focus on his status and how the knee responds once the adrenaline fades. [Read more 🡒]
Blake Snells Status Just Put Dodgers In A Tough Late-Season Spot
Blake Snells latest setback has put the Dodgers in a delicate place as the season winds down. Snell left his last start after just one inning because of left groin tightness, and while he has resumed throwing from 90 feet as part of his recovery, the club is still trying to be careful with how it handles him this late in the year. Manager Dave Roberts has said he hopes Snell can make another start before the regular season ends, but the Dodgers are clearly balancing that optimism against the bigger picture.
The timing is what makes it tricky, especially with a series against the Padres coming up and playoff positioning still in play. Los Angeles wants to have Snell available without forcing the issue, and every decision now has postseason implications attached to it. Even with some encouraging signs in his recovery, the Dodgers are left waiting on whether they can get one more meaningful start out of him before October arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Prospects Had A Big Night The Comets Couldnt Protect
The Oklahoma City Comets looked in control early on the road in El Paso, getting a boost from James Tibbs III, who drove a three-run home run and reached 30 homers on the season. It was the kind of swing that can settle a game down for a Dodgers affiliate with bats worth watching, and Mike Sirota also added a notable wrinkle to the night by making his Triple-A debut after his promotion to Oklahoma City.
Then the inning the Comets could not survive arrived, with El Paso putting up seven runs in the sixth and flipping the game completely. Sirotas call-up still stood out in its own right, as he reached 100 runs scored across three minor league levels this season, but the larger story was how quickly a promising start disappeared once the Chihuahuas found a big frame and Oklahoma City could not stop it. [Read more 🡒]