The Dodgers are using Friday night’s game against the Giants as one last dress rehearsal, and the lineup reflects it. With playoff seeding already settled, Los Angeles is rolling out a mix of regulars and a few players who could use the work before October arrives.
Shohei Ohtani is back in the leadoff spot for his third game since coming off the injured list and his second straight start there. Behind him, Mookie Betts hits second, followed by Freddie Freeman, who looks to keep building after going 2-for-4 on Thursday. Will Smith bats cleanup, with Kyle Tucker in right field hitting fifth and Teoscar Hernandez in left hitting sixth.
Max Muncy is in the seven spot, Andy Pages is in center, and Kike Hernandez rounds out the order at second base. Hernandez is the notable inclusion after sitting out multiple games, and Dave Roberts is giving him a chance even against a right-handed starter. As a part-time utility player, he does not get many chances, and the Dodgers are trying to find those opportunities with the playoffs coming up.
There could also be a chance for Dalton Rushing to get some pinch-hit work later in the game.
The mound assignment is where the attention really sharpens. Tarik Skubal gets the ball after a rough outing against the Giants a week ago at home, when he went five innings and allowed eight hits, two walks and four runs, with two of those runs coming on a home run. He also struck out just three in that start against a Giants lineup that was described as weak.
Now he faces that same group again, with the added pressure of showing better stuff before the postseason. Skubal is expected to handle marquee playoff games, so a sharper showing against San Francisco would help quiet some of the concern from his last outing.
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Jansen has long credited former Dodgers executive De Jon Watson with pushing him to leave catching behind and make the move to the mound in the minors, a shift that altered everything that followed. He has gone on to pitch for several teams since his time in Los Angeles, but he has also made clear he would like to finish his career where it started to mean the most, which only adds another layer to how that old Dodgers decision still echoes today. [Read more 🡒]