The Dodgers head into the final stop of their nine-game road trip with momentum and a chance to keep stacking wins in Sacramento.
Los Angeles has already taken care of business on the trip, going 5-1 so far. That run included a sweep of the Minnesota Twins and two wins in three games against the San Diego Padres.
At 54-30, the Dodgers have locked up a winning road trip, but they still have three games left against an Athletics club that’s been sliding. Oakland enters at 40-44 after dropping a series to the Los Angeles Angels and has lost six of its last eight.
Monday’s opener brings back a familiar bat for Los Angeles. The Dodgers activated Teoscar Hernández from the injured list before the game, ending a month-long absence while he recovered from a Grade 1 hamstring strain. To clear a spot, the club sent rookie outfielder Ryan Ward, 28, to Triple-A.
Hernández is back in the lineup and hitting fifth. Tommy Edman is out, as is Alex Freeland, while Miguel Rojas is in there against a lefty.
On the mound, the Dodgers are turning to Eric Lauer, and this time he’s getting the ball as the actual starter. Lauer’s last outing came behind an opener, but he was electric in that one, tossing six hitless innings in relief against the Twins. Through five appearances with Los Angeles, he owns a 2.54 ERA across 28.1 innings.
The Athletics will counter with left-hander Gage Jump, a rookie who has put together an eye-catching first season. He’s 3-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 35.1 innings, with 35 strikeouts, 10 walks and a 0.96 WHIP. Jump has been especially sharp lately, blanking opponents in each of his last two starts and stringing together 12 scoreless innings.
First pitch for Dodgers-Athletics on Monday, June 29 is set for 6:40 p.m. PT/9:40 p.m. ET.
The game will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app.
The game will be broadcast on the radio on AM570 (in English) and KTNQ 1020 AM (in Spanish).
In Other News...
A's Suddenly Face A Brutal Deadline Decision As Injuries Mount
The Athletics slide has gotten hard to ignore at exactly the moment they need stability the most. After spending time atop the AL West, theyve tumbled to fourth place and are now trying to keep pace in a crowded Wild Card picture, all while a spate of injuries has thinned out the roster and made every game feel a little more precarious.
Zack Gelof and Luis Severino are already part of the injury backdrop, and the uncertainty around Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom only adds to the pressure on a club that still believes it has a path back into the race. With the trade deadline approaching, the As have to decide whether to lean on what they have or push for outside help, especially if they want to turn this rough stretch into something more sustainable. [Read more 🡒]
As Suddenly Face A Youth Movement Test Nobody Wanted
The latest shuffle around the infield and bullpen says plenty about how quickly the Athletics depth chart can change. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer was selected from Triple-A Las Vegas, while Kade Morris and Darell Hernaiz were also brought back up, giving the club another round of fresh faces to sort through as it tries to patch together a lineup and pitching staff on the fly.
Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom both landed on the 10-day injured list, and Jos Suarez went on the paternity list, so the As had to create room however they could. Michael Kelly was the roster casualty this time, a reminder that every injury ripple can force a move even before the front office gets a chance to settle on the next version of the roster. [Read more 🡒]