The Dodgers are set to spend Fourth of July weekend at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium with the Padres in town for a four-game set, and the pitching matchups are now lined up.
Los Angeles comes into the series at 56-31 after a 7-2 road trip, a stretch that pushed its lead over San Diego in the National League West to 12 games. The Padres, meanwhile, arrive at 43-42 after being swept by the Chicago Cubs, a series in which they were outscored 35-12.
These two clubs just saw plenty of each other. The Dodgers took two of three at Petco Park this past weekend, and they also won two of three in San Diego back in May.
Thursday’s opener features RHP Roki Sasaki against RHP Randy Vásquez. Sasaki is looking to steady himself after three difficult outings.
Against the Padres last weekend, he gave up three runs over four-plus innings and issued five walks. Over his last three starts, he has allowed 13 runs in 14 innings, pushing his ERA to 4.88 across 72 innings this season.
Vásquez has gone in the opposite direction after a strong start to the year. He owns a 4.44 ERA over 81 innings and was hit hard by the Dodgers last weekend, allowing seven runs, five earned, in 3.1 innings.
The start before that, he gave up seven runs, six earned, in 3.1 innings. In his first outing against Los Angeles in May, he allowed three runs on six hits over 4.1 innings and did not strike out a batter.
Friday brings RHP Shohei Ohtani against RHP Michael King. Ohtani was originally lined up to pitch Wednesday, but the Dodgers pushed him back two days to give him extra rest.
After a strong start to the season, he has been a little less sharp in his last three outings, giving up 10 runs, nine earned, over 18.2 innings. Even so, he still owns a 1.58 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 79.2 innings, and he held the Padres scoreless over five innings in May.
King enters with a 3.55 ERA in 96.1 innings. His two outings against the Dodgers this season were a study in contrast.
In May, he spun seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and picked up the win. This past weekend, he allowed four runs in 4.1 innings and took the loss.
Saturday’s Fourth of July game pits RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto against RHP Griffin Canning. Yamamoto has been one of the most consistent arms in the rotation, carrying a 2.67 ERA over 97.2 innings. He most recently faced San Diego and allowed two runs in six innings, and in May he turned in seven innings of one-run ball against the Padres.
Canning has had a rough first season in San Diego, going 1-5 with a 7.08 ERA. He did not pitch against the Dodgers last weekend, but he did see them in May and gave up three runs over five innings.
Sunday’s finale matches RHP Justin Wrobleski against RHP J.P. Sears.
Wrobleski has dealt with the toughest season of any Dodgers starter, posting a 5.08 ERA over 72.2 innings. He did, however, settle in against the Padres last weekend, allowing one run in five innings while striking out five.
Sears has had a mixed run since coming back up from Triple-A. He followed a good start against the Atlanta Braves, when he allowed two runs in 5.2 innings, with a rough one against the Cubs, when he gave up seven runs, six earned, in 4.2 innings.
Thursday’s first pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m.
ET, with SportsNet LA and the MLB app carrying the game. Friday and Saturday also start at 7:10 p.m.
PT/10:10 p.m. ET on SportsNet LA and the MLB app.
Sunday’s finale begins at 4:20 p.m. PT/7:20 p.m.
ET on NBC and Peacock.
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