Dodgers Rays Game One Preview

The Dodgers finally return home to open up a winnable homestand.

The Dodgers are 2.5 games out of first place. Clayton Kershaw‘s last start came on June 26th, and the Dodgers were eight back. They’ve reeled off a 15-8 record without him and the Giants have finally begun coming down to earth. Were it not for a couple dumb games/blown saves, the Dodgers could be in first.

They have a great opportunity to come even closer to the Giants over the next week and a half. While the Dodgers have back-to-back series with last-place teams coming up, the Giants welcome the Reds (who beat them last night) and then have seven games in 11 days against the Washington Nationals. This could be a key stretch for the Dodgers, who have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way (three against Boston, three against CHC, nine against SFG are the only really tough series’ left, with all-due respect to Miami and NYY).

The big stretch begins tonight as the Dodgers face the Rays and potential future Dodger Chris Archer. Archer was the man in Tampa coming into the season, but has struggled mightily and is now in the middle of trade deadline rumors. Archer leads the majors in losses with 13 and owns a 4.60 ERA/4.13 FIP in 21 starts. He also leads the AL with 147 strikeouts, so while he’s still good at that, he is prone to the longball and has only thrown more than six innings five times. He’s coming off a good start in Colorado, where he struck out 11 and allowed two runs in six innings. Getting him out of the power-heavy AL East could do him some good, and he’ll have an opportunity to audition in front of one of the few teams that could both use him and afford him in a trade.

Bud Norris starts for the Dodgers for the fifth time this season. He appeared in Friday night’s 16-inning game and took the loss as he allowed a walk-off homer to Matt Adams, but he only threw 23 pitches so he shouldn’t be too tired today. If he is, Ross Stripling is still on the roster. Norris isn’t the best starting option out there, but he’s gone at least five in every start as a Dodger, which is something the Dodgers definitely need. With another off day coming up on Thursday, the bullpen should have a chance to get well-rested before a tough series with the Red Sox next weekend.

The same eight that won the last two games in St. Louis. The notable missing piece is Yasiel Puig, who could be DL-bound. If he is DL’d, it would be retroactive to July 22nd (last time he appeared in a game), so he’d be eligible to be back on August 6th. This probably makes it more unlikely for him to be moved before the August 1st trade deadline, but there’s no rule against trading an injured player.

Next: How the Chapman Deal Impacts LA

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.