Josue De Paula is getting a new look in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
After opening his first two games with Los Angeles as the designated hitter, the top prospect will head to left field for the first time in MLB and finally put a glove on in the big leagues.
The Dodgers and Marlins have split the first two games of the set. Los Angeles took the opener, while Miami answered with a 4-3 win on Saturday.
Emmet Sheehan gets the ball for the Dodgers, making his second appearance since coming back from Triple-A last week. His last outing was a strong one: 10 strikeouts, one run allowed, and 5.2 innings pitched. For the season, Sheehan owns a 5.08 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 101 innings.
The lineup has Mookie Betts in a rare leadoff role, with Freddie Freeman hitting second. Max Muncy serves as the designated hitter and bats third, followed by Will Smith in the cleanup spot.
Kyle Tucker stays in the five-hole, De Paula bats sixth, and Alex Call starts in center field and hits seventh. Miguel Rojas and Alex Freeland round out the order.
Dodgers lineup vs. Marlins:
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Max Muncy, DH
- Will Smith, C
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Josue De Paula, LF
- Alex Call, CF
- Miguel Rojas, 2B
- Alex Freeland, 3B
P. Emmet Sheehan, RHP
Miami counters with Eury Perez, another right-hander. Perez has put together a solid season, with career highs in both innings pitched and strikeouts, and a 3.94 ERA. He did not face the Dodgers earlier this season when the Marlins visited Los Angeles.
The Dodgers are looking to put together more offense than they did Saturday as they try to keep moving toward a postseason spot with plenty of games still ahead.
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Rojas plans to get a cortisone injection so he can keep playing, but the situation still leaves Los Angeles with a familiar question about how long it can count on him at full strength. The Dodgers do have depth options to cover the spot if he needs time off, which softens the blow, yet this is still the sort of injury watch that can force a team to reshuffle quickly if the discomfort lingers. [Read more 🡒]
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Sheehans demotion creates an obvious wrinkle for October, since the move leaves him ineligible to rejoin the Dodgers before the end of the regular season unless another player gets hurt. For a team that values pitching depth as much as this one does, the decision adds another layer to how the staff will be lined up when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
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Long before he was introduced to Dodgers fans, Leitz was a finalist for the Padres PA announcer opening in 2014 and came up short. The experience still proved useful, though, because it gave him a better feel for what teams were looking for when he later auditioned for a part-time Dodgers position and ultimately landed the job that turned into a steady run in Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
