The Dodgers head into Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers with everything on the line.
Los Angeles has dropped two of the first three games in the four-game set, and now the pressure is squarely on the home team at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. Milwaukee can clinch the series with a win, while the Dodgers are trying to salvage a split in a game that carries real weight in the National League race.
These two clubs have already split their first six meetings this season, so Sunday’s result does more than settle one series. It also decides the season tiebreaker, which could loom large when seeding gets sorted out later on.
The Dodgers sit two games behind the Brewers for the NL’s best record, and a victory would trim that gap to one while also handing Los Angeles the tiebreaker. A loss would leave the Dodgers three games back, and effectively four back in practical terms if the teams finish with the same record.
On the mound, the Dodgers will turn to Tarik Skubal for his third start in a Los Angeles uniform. He has given up five runs over his first 11 innings with the club and struck out 12, but the numbers have come with a dose of bad luck.
Skubal has already handled both his team debut and his home debut, and he now gets the nerves out of the way in a game the Dodgers badly need. He also saw the Brewers back in April while pitching for the Detroit Tigers, when he allowed four runs over six innings and struck out five.
Milwaukee will counter with right-hander Logan Henderson, who has been one of the club’s most effective arms this season. The 24-year-old enters at 6-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 11 starts, along with 69 strikeouts and 11 walks across 56.1 innings. He also had success against Los Angeles in May, throwing five scoreless innings and fanning seven.
First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. PT/4:10 p.m.
ET on Sunday, Aug. 16.
The game will air on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app, with radio coverage on AM570 in English and KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish.
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