The Dodgers and Padres are set to open a huge three-game series Tuesday night at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, and Los Angeles is going with a surprise look on the mound.
Right-hander Brock Stewart will start for the Dodgers in what has the feel of a bullpen game. Stewart has posted a 2.55 ERA over 24.2 innings this season, and the Dodgers may lean on left-hander Justin Wrobleski to handle multiple innings behind him.
Wrobleski last worked on Sept. 17 against the Cincinnati Reds, when he threw three hitless, scoreless innings with three strikeouts. He’s now turned in five straight scoreless innings across his last two outings, bouncing back from a rough second-half stretch in which he carried a 7.55 ERA over 31 innings.
For the Padres, it’s Michael King, who has been one of the steadiest arms in the league all season. King is 12-9 with a 3.03 ERA in 31 starts covering 181 innings, and he’s been even sharper lately, going 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA over his last five starts and 32 innings. He’s already seen the Dodgers in all three series this season and has allowed six runs in 17.1 innings against them, good for a 3.12 ERA, while striking out 19.
The matchup arrives with both teams chasing major goals. The Dodgers, at 96-60, are trying to lock down one of the top two seeds in the National League and the first-round bye that comes with it.
Their magic number for that is 3. The Padres are 87-69 and working to clinch a playoff berth; their magic number is 2.
San Diego also comes in as the hottest team in baseball, having won 13 of its last 14.
“It’s going to be a good primer. They're a very talented team,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the series.
“They’re playing as good as anyone in all of baseball. So, I’m looking forward to playing those guys and ramping it up a little bit more for our guys.”
The teams have met 10 times this season, with the Dodgers winning seven of those games. Their last meeting came over Fourth of July weekend.
First pitch for Tuesday, Sept. 22 is set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m.
ET. The game will air on SportsNet LA and the MLB app, with TBS carrying it for out-of-market viewers.
Radio coverage is on AM570 in English and KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish.
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