Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off a series sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to end their homestand, will begin a crucial seven-game road trip against two competing teams in the National League Central.
First up on that road trip will be a four-game series against the National League Central-leading Milwaukie Brewers, who visited Los Angeles at the beginning of July during the first half of the regular season, losing two of three to the Dodgers.
Both teams enter play winners of six of their last ten games. Heading into Monday, the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the best record in the National League, with the Brewers only one and a half games behind.
This also means that the Brewers are close to the Dodgers for the third seed in the National League, and the Dodgers having the tiebreaker over the Brewers is critical so they can avoid the wild card round despite being on pace to win their division.
Each game is crucial from now until September, especially with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks fast on their heels.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, reinforcements are coming, with two significant players returning to the team this series in what could be a postseason preview.
Pitching match-ups
Game One: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (0-2, 4.38 ERA) vs Freddy Peralta (7-6, 4.02 ERA)
Game Two: Gavin Stone (9-5, 3.71 ERA) vs Colin Rea (10-3, 3.38 ERA)
Game Three: Walker Buehler (1-4, 5.84 ERA) vs Frankie Montas (5-8, 5.10 ERA)
Game Four: Jack Flaherty K9-5, 2.97 ERA) vs Tobias Myers (6-5, 2.79 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 5:10 PM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports Wisconsin
Game Two: 5:10 PM PT, TBS, SNLA, Bally Sports Wisconsin
Game Three: 5:10 PM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports Wisconsin, MLB Network (out-of-market-only)
Game Four: 11:10 AM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports Wisconsin
Who’s in & who’s out?
As the summer continues, the Dodgers are expected to get multiple players back off the injured list in the coming days and weeks, and this series is no exception as the team receives arguably their most significant player back in Mookie Betts.
Betts, 31, has missed the last several weeks due to a fracture on his non-throwing hand suffered in the series final against the Kansas City Royals on July 16th.
Betts was on pace to win his second league Most Valuable Player Award while transitioning from right field to second base and then to shortstop in a matter of days before the 2024 regular season opened in Korea.
However, Betts will no longer be the Dodgers leadoff hitter, at least this season, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated he likes having Ohtani in that spot as a way to break up the lefties atop the Dodgers order.
Betts will now shift down to the two-hole, where he has hit .307/.390/.488 with a .877 OPS in ninety-nine games.
Despite losing pitcher River Ryan for the season due to a UCL sprain, the Dodgers will activate right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler to take his place in the starting rotation this Wednesday.
It has not been the best season for Buehler, who is coming off the heels of his second career Tommy John Surgery. However, he hopes that the much-needed break and visit to a private facility in Florida will benefit him on his second stint with the big league club.
In his last rehab outing for Triple-A OKC, Buehler went into the sixth inning while striking out five hitters and reaching 96mph, and if he can get it right, it would be a massive boost to a Dodgers rotation down the stretch.
Right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Brasier, who has been on his own rehab assignment for the better half of the month, will rejoin the team in St. Louis and will be another great addition to the backend of the Dodgers bullpen.
As for the Brewers like many teams in the National League have battled injures all season long getting hit hard in the starting rotation. However, perhaps the biggest punch to the Brew Crew is the loss of Christian Yelich who has been sidelined since late July due to lower back inflammation.
The Brewers are also without left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny, right-handed pitcher Trevor Megill, and left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson but could be reactivated this series after suffering a left oblique injury.
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