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Dodgers Padres Game Three Preview

By Alex Campos

Apr 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches in the second inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches in the second inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dodgers look to avoid going 0-for the week and they have the right guy on the hill to break their losing streak.

After yet another bad loss to the Padres, the Dodgers have lost their last six and fell below .500 for the first time all season. They’re still in first place because the rest of the division has been bad as well, but there’s really no excuse for getting swept at home by Miami and losing two of three (at least) to the Padres.

Clayton Kershaw looks to be the stopper today. He looked like classic Kershaw early on in his last start, but imploded in the sixth and the offense couldn’t pick him up. The five-run sixth inning he threw on Tuesday skyrocketed his ERA to 2.43. Kershaw started opening day against the Padres and got 15 runs of support, but he tossed a quiet seven innings of one-hit ball that was overshadowed by the offensive explosion.

Drew Pomeranz gets the ball for the Padres, and he’s looked great early on this season. In his first four starts, Pomeranz has a 2.86 ERA/3.05 FIP combo. He’s thrown over 100 pitches in each of his last three starts, but is coming off his worst start of the season in San Francisco. He’s seen a nice uptick in strikeouts, as his 12.9 K/9 rate is a huge improvement from his previous career high of 8.6 K/9. Whether or not it’s sustainable remains to be seen, but the Dodgers seemingly tend to struggle against lefties. Pomeranz is the first of three straight lefties the Dodgers will face, as the Tampa Bay Rays are scheduled to throw lefties in both of their games against the Dodgers.

#PuigHitsFirst today after getting the day off last night. The middle of that lineup have all looked just lost at the plate, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can snap the cold spell tonight. Of course, A.J. Ellis is in the lineup with Kershaw on the hill. I love Kershaw throwing to elite pitch framer Yasmani Grandal, but he should basically get to handpick whatever lineup he wants behind him.

As fun as this losing streak has been, today seems like as good a day as any to snap it. Get a win in before an interleague road trip. Head into the off day with a win. Get back to .500.

First pitch is schedule for 1:10 PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.

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