Dodgers at Cubs, 5:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA
Greinke, save us!
Okay, that’s a little heavy on the hyperbole. Nonetheless, the Dodgers’ pitching needs to improve over its results in the last two games, and the only one who can do it better than Zack is Clayton Kershaw, who pitches tomorrow. Greinke is 15-8 with a 2.64 ERA on the season, 4-2 with a 3.92 ERA in six career starts against the Cubbies.
The Cubs send Tsuyoshi Wada to the mound. Wada was 4-3 with a 3.34 ERA in his first 11 Major League starts but has struggled in his last two, going 3 1/3 and 4 1/3 innings. Those two outings ballooned his ERA; it had been 2.79 before the Pirates whacked him around twice. He pitched against the Dodgers back on August 2, going 5 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and two runs and striking out six in a game the Dodgers won on a Hanley Ramirez walk-off HR in the twelfth inning.
Speaking of Ramirez, the Dodgers “hope” to have him back for this series.
The Giants are off today. With a win the Dodgers would be up 2 1/2 games in the NL West.
Lineup when available.
Tonight's Dodgers lineup:
Gordon 2B
Puig CF
Gonzalez 1B
Kemp RF
Ramirez SS
Van Slyke LF
Uribe 3B
Ellis C
Greinke P
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2014