Aug 29

Game 128, 2015

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Cubs at Dodgers, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN

The Dodgers’ Mat Latos has a career 7-3 record against the Cubbies with a 2.76 ERA. He might want to face them all the time, as his record this season is not so shiny: 4-9 with a 4.81 ERA. He’ll face Jon Lester, who’s not having his greatest season either: 8-9, 3.44 ERA. Latos hasn’t pitched since August 13 due to off-days, so he’s had lots of rest. Lester nearly got a shutout in his last outing; he went 8 1/3 innings, then gave up a run and came out. This is his first road start since July 18.

Lineup when available.

Scoreboard watchers: Cardinals at Giants

Aug 28

Game 127, 2015

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Cubs at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN

Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.29 ERA) looks to get a win after two straight starts in which the bullpen blew leads he’d handed to it. The Cubbies send Jason Hammel (7-5, 3.35 ERA) out to do battle with him.

Kershaw lost his only previous start against the Cubs this season on June 22, 4-2. He gave up two home runs and the Dodgers, who also had two dingers, couldn’t get to the Cubs’ bullpen, which came in early and gave up only one run in seven innings.

Lineup when available.

Puig to the DL with right hamstring strain.

For scoreboard watchers: Cardinals at Giants, 7:15PM PT

Aug 27

Game 126, 2015

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Dodgers at Reds, 9:35AM PT, TV: SPNLA

Zack Greinke (13-3, 1.37 ERA) looks for win number fourteen in a rematch of the August 16 game he started against Reds’ right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (7-9, 3.97 ERA). The Dodgers won that one 2-1 thanks in part to a Greinke home run. DeSclafani did himself proud, though, going six innings, walking two and striking out six. If Greinke goes six innings or more in today’s game he’ll keep a streak alive: he’s gone at least that distance in all 25 starts he’s made this year.

Lineup when available.

Aug 26

Game 125, 2015

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Dodgers at Reds, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Two more lefties go against one another: Brett Anderson (7-8, 3.52 ERA) versus David Holmberg (1-3, 6.57 ERA). If this matchup looks familiar, there’s a reason: they faced one another back on August 15. The Dodgers came out ahead in that game 8-3, getting five hits and seven runs off Holmberg and driving him out of the game in just two innings. Puig, Hernandez and Turner all hit homers off him, and Gonzalez hit one off his successor. Anderson went six innings and gave up three earned runs to get the win.

Lineup when available.

Aug 25

Game 124, 2015

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Dodgers at Reds, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

It’s a battle of lefties as the Dodgers’ Alex Wood (8-8, 3.79 ERA) goes against the Reds’ rookie John Lamb (0-1, 6.35 ERA). This will be Lamb’s third big league start and second against the Dodgers. On August 14 he went 6 innings against them, giving up eight hits and five runs, four of them in the fifth inning including a three-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez. Wood started that game for the Dodgers and went 6 1/3 innings as the Dodgers won 5-3.

Lineup when available.

Aug 23

Game 123, 2015

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Dodgers at Astros, 11:10AM PT, TV: SPNLA, TBS

It will be Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.34 ERA) going against Lance McCullers (5-4, 3.17 ERA). McCullers has spent the last two weeks in AA ball at Corpus Christi in an attempt to limit his innings in his first year in the big leagues. I guess it worked: he only threw three innings there in those two weeks. In his last big league start he went 1/3 of an inning and gave up seven hits and six earned runs.

Lineup when available.

Aug 22

Game 122, 2015

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Dodgers at Astros, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Zack Greinke has been emulating Superman recently. He’s made 11 consecutive starts without a loss, and he’s now 13-2 with an MLB-leading 1.58 ERA. He’s also the second-best hitting pitcher in the NL behind Madison Bumgarner of the Giants. His opponent will be left-handed Scott Kazmir (6-8, 2.43 ERA), who’s given up nine earned runs in his last three starts. He’s 1-3 with the Astros after coming over from the As at the trade deadline.

Lineup:

Puig’s back in right, Utley’s at second, and Kiké is in center. Van Slyke’s in left because Kazmir’s a lefty and neither Crawford nor Ethier hit southpaws well at all.

Aug 21

Game 121, 2015

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Dodgers at Astros, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN

Brett Anderson (7-7, 3.48 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and Mike Fiers (5-9, 3.87 ERA) goes for the Astros.

Anderson probably needs to be watched carefully by the Dodgers, since he’s pitched more innings (134 2/3) this season than in any year since 2009. So far he’s done very well; two-thirds of his starts have been quality ones.

Fiers came over from the Brewers with Carlos Gomez at the trade deadline. This will be his fourth start for the Astros, his second at home in Minute Maid Park.

Chase Utley will likely start at second base for the Dodgers. Yasiel Puig is day-to-day, but he might be the DH in this interleague game (it still seems odd that the Astros are now in the American League and not a team the Dodgers play regularly).

Lineup when available.

Aug 19

Game 120, 2015

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Jerry Hairston, after last night’s bullpen failure: “That’s the 25th time in his career the bullpen has blown a game Kershaw was in line to win.”

Dodgers at Athletics, 12:35PM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSNCA

Ordinarily this would be Mat Latos’ turn in the Dodgers’ rotation, but he’s temporarily moving to the bullpen “to get the most starts possible out of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.” In other words, the Dodgers are going to a four-man rotation for a few weeks. They can do this because of days off this week and next.

That means Alex Wood will pitch for the Dodgers today. He’s 8-7 with a 3.74 ERA and got his first win as a Dodger his last time out. He went 6 1/3 innings against the Reds on August 14, giving up five hits and three earned runs while walking three and striking out three.

His opponent will be Jesse Chavez, who’s tied for most losses in the AL with twelve. He’s 4-5 with a 2.92 ERA at home, though, and that’s where the game will be played.

Lineup when available.

Aug 18

Game 119, 2015

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Dodgers at Athletics, 7:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSNCA

Clayton Kershaw brings his 10-6 record and his 2.39 ERA to bear against Felix Doubront (1-1, 4.59 ERA), making his first start for the As since coming over from the Blue Jays at the deadline. He’s made two relief appearances for them. I found this rather dismissive summary of him at Yahoo Sports:

Doubront has bounced around, beginning the year with the Cubs in spring training and getting another chance in Toronto before joining the A’s at the trade deadline. The journeyman left-hander can probably be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Now that’s cold!

Hmm. The International Scouting department has just undergone a facelift. Or possibly a purge. Depends on how you look at it.

From Sunday:

Lineup: