The Los Angeles Dodgers head down to Florida for a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays. This series will be unique in that it will be played at George Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, where the Rays will play all of their home games due to the hurricane damage to Tropicana Field. In the games that have been played there this season, one thing is for sure: the ball flies out of the ballpark. The Dodgers’ offense should love playing there, minus the heat, as they have two day games in the series in the hot Florida sun. Pitching, on the other hand, will need to keep attacking the zone and not worry if a ball that would be an out at every other ballpark goes over the fence. Consistency will be key to winning this series.
Game 1:
Clayton Kershaw(LAD) vs. Shane Baz(TB)
The Dodger legend will be looking to shut down a potent Rays offense, with some players having previously faced off against Kershaw. Jonny Deluca has only had two at-bats against Kershaw, but is batting .1000. Rays superstar Junior Caminero, in three at-bats against Kershaw, is hitting at a .667 rate. Teoscar Hernandez is the only Dodger to have faced Baz and has a .250 average against the righty.
Game 2:
Blake Snell(LAD) vs. Drew Rasmussen(TB)
It will be good to see Blake Snell back in the rotation, pitching against his former team on Saturday. A few Rays players have played against Snell, with the only player to have an average against the lefty being Yandy Diaz, who in 11 at-bats carries a .182 average. The Dodgers have faced Rasmussen before, with Freddie Freeman carrying a .500 average against him, followed by Miguel Rojas, who is hitting .333 against the right-hander.
Game 3:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto(LAD) vs. Joe Boyle(TB)
This matchup will feature two pitchers who have an ERA under 3, with Yamamoto’s 2.63 ERA going up against Boyle’s 2.82 ERA. The offenses will be facing each pitcher for the first time, except for the Rays’ Christopher Morel, who has faced Yamamoto twice without a hit. This game could be the one that decides the series.
Outlook:
The Dodgers are fresh off a series win against the Reds, a series that most fans believe the Dodgers should have swept. Tampa Bay is on a downswing, as in their last ten games they have gone 2-8 and as of this writing are facing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium today. The off day should help the Dodgers as their bullpen should be fresh, and after Wednesday’s scare when Ohtani had to come off the mound due to what ended up being cramps, it will only help the healing process, not just for Ohtani but for all positional players. The Dodgers theoretically should win this series as well, but stranger things have happened. Stay up to date here at LADR, where we will bring you all of the news and happenings about your Los Angeles Dodgers.
