Dodgers Preview: LA Starts 9-Game Road Trip in Beantown

BOSTON, MA—After salvaging Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, thanks to a walk-off two-run single off the bat of Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers will now kick off a nine-game East Coast road trip, starting in Boston with a three-game weekend set.

The Dodgers had hoped to get back on track after stumbling into the All-Star break; however, they proceeded to win just two games on their six-game homestand, including another series sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Los Angeles would rebound well, taking two of three against the Twins, but the bullpen was still an issue, nearly handing the team a loss after another blown lead in the eighth inning.

Despite the series win, the Dodgers have just four wins over their last ten games and are 7-11 in July.

However, Los Angeles still maintains a strong division lead in the National League West, five games ahead of the San Diego Padres and six games ahead of the San Francisco Giants.

As for the Boston Red Sox, they’ve been playing great baseball over the last several weeks, holding a 13-5 record in July, shooting them back in the postseason conversation in a competitive American League East.

Right now, the Red Sox hold the final Wild Card spot in the American League, 1.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays, and are just 6.5 games back.

It’ll be the second homecoming for three-time World Series champion Mookie Betts, despite the shortstop expected to miss the first game on Friday, per Dave Roberts.

Los Angeles will also face a familiar face in Walker Buehler on Sunday to close out the series.

Pitching match-ups

Game One: Emmet Sheehan (1-1, 4.41 ERA) vs Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA)

Game Two: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (4-1, 3.27 ERA) vs Garrett Crochet (LHP) (11-4, 2.19 ERA)

Game Three: Dustin May (6-6, 4.73 ERA) vs Walker Buehler (6-6, 5.72 ERA)

Game Times

Game One: 5:10 PM PT, SportsNet LA, NESN

Game Two: 5:15 PM PT, FOX

Game Three: 10:35 AM PT, SportsNet LA, NESN

Who’s in & who’s out?

The Dodgers will continue to be without right-handed closer Tanner Scott after the righty exited his appearance on Monday due to a left forearm strain.

An MRI on Tuesday revealed that Scott has left elbow inflammation, not a tear. However, he’ll stop throwing for a few days and reevaluate the situation and next steps.

Max Muncy is also inching closer toward his August return and will travel to the Dodgers’ Arizona complex while the team is on its nine-game road trip.

So far, Muncy has participated in all baseball activities, including running, hitting, and fielding, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stating that his recovery from the knee injury is further along than initially anticipated.

Left-handed starter Blake Snell is set to make his fourth and possibly final rehab appearance this weekend with the Triple-A OKC Comets. If Snell can reach five innings at around seventy-five pitches, the lefty could rejoin the rotation next week, per Dave Roberts.

Blake Treinen pitched back-to-back nights for the OKC Comets yesterday, tossing yet another scoreless inning. Treinen could be activated this weekend and join the team in Boston.

10-day Injured List (2): Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández

15-day Injured List (1): Tanner Scott

60-day Injured List (11): Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, Michael Kopech, Blake Snell, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips

The Red Sox are about as banged up this season as the Dodgers, with a collective eleven players currently on their injured list.

Young Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer is currently listed as day-to-day after experiencing right wrist discomfort.

Mayer was removed from the game in the fifth inning after feeling pain in his wrist while swinging. The young middle infielder was seen wearing a brace afterward, stating he was in pain but icing it.

The Red Sox are also missing two notable pitchers in their pitching staff.

Right-handed pitcher Zack Kelly has been on the injured list since July 4th after suffering a right oblique strain. The righty threw a live bullpenJuly 21ston July 21st and began a minor league rehab stint in Single-A yesterday.

Fellow right-hander Tanner Houck is also set to miss an extended amount of time due to a right flexor pronator strain, which he suffered in May.

The right-hander is expected to return no sooner than August, but after further testing, Houck won’t undergo season-ending surgery and will remain on the injured list for a bit longer.

However, the Red Sox have had unfortunate luck this season, losing multiple players to season-ending injuries such as Hunter Dobbins (ACL tear) and Tristan Casas (ruptured patellar tendon).

Day-to-day (1): Marcelo Mayer

10-day Injured List (00):

15-day Injured List (4): Tanner Houck, Luis Guerrero, Zack Kelly, Hunter Dobbins

60-day Injured List (7): Patrick Sandoval, Triston Casas, Josh Winchkowski, Liam Hendricks, Justin Slaten, Nick Burdi, Kutter Crawford

Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!