The Dodgers are back home for Labor Day Weekend, and the rotation plan is now set for a three-game set against the Nationals at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles enters the series at 83-57 after taking its series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a walk-off two-run double from Teoscar Hernández on Thursday night. Even with that finish, the Dodgers have still dropped six of their last nine and are 27-27 since July 1.
Washington arrives at 67-75 and no longer has a path in the National League wild-card chase, sitting 7.5 games behind the third and final spot. These clubs already met in Washington, D.C. from April 3-5, when the Dodgers swept the three-game series.
Friday’s opener will feature a lefty matchup, with Blake Snell going for Los Angeles and Jackson Kent starting for Washington. Snell has been rolling since returning from elbow surgery on Aug.
- In four starts back, he’s given up just three runs across 23 innings, good for a 1.17 ERA, and he has yet to allow a home run this season.
Kent made his MLB debut on Aug. 12 against the Chicago Cubs and has now made four big league starts. He’s 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 19.1 innings.
Saturday brings Tyler Glasnow against Cade Cavali. Glasnow came back from a nearly four-month absence on Aug. 25 and has already shown both sides of his arsenal.
He allowed three runs over five innings with seven strikeouts in his return, then followed that up with seven innings of one-run ball and six strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers last weekend. He also faced the Nationals on April 4, giving up two runs over six innings while striking out nine.
Cavali has quietly put together a strong first full season in the majors. Through 29 starts, he’s 12-5 with a 3.12 ERA and 177 strikeouts over 152.2 innings.
For Sunday’s finale, the Dodgers will call up a pitcher to start, and it will almost certainly be right-hander Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan just won Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for August after going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA over four starts. In that stretch, he posted a 0.94 WHIP and 24 strikeouts, and among PCL pitchers with at least 15 innings, he led the league in WHIP and batting average.
Sheehan’s major league season has been a different story. He had a 5.29 ERA in 20 starts before being optioned on Aug.
- The Dodgers briefly recalled him for the series at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies, but he didn’t pitch before going back down.
He faced the Nationals on April 3 and allowed four runs over 5.2 innings with two strikeouts.
Washington’s scheduled starter for Sunday is Alvarez, who has made 21 appearances, 13 of them starts, and owns a 3.47 ERA with 86 strikeouts over 90.2 innings. He’s also coming off a strong August, when he made six starts and put together a 2.45 ERA over 33 innings.
Friday’s first pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m.
ET. Saturday begins at 6:10 p.m.
PT/9:10 p.m. ET, and Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
PT/10:10 p.m. ET.
All three games will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app.
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