Dodgers Preview: Skidding Dodgers Head to Milwaukee for Three-Game Set

MILWAUKEE, WI— After a modest 3-3 homestand, the Los Angeles Dodgers head to the Midwest to face the Milwaukee Brewers, kicking off the team’s final road trip of the first half. 

It was a tale of two halves during the Dodgers’ recent six-game homestand, where the team swept the lowly Chicago White Sox until they got the other end of a series sweep thanks to the Houston Astros.

Still, the Dodgers are riding high, winners of six of their last ten games, and still sit with a seven-game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres in the National League West.

However, it’ll be another tough series for Los Angeles as they’ll face another postseason contender in the Brewers, who sit in second place in a competitive National League Central.

The Brew Crew has defied all expectations this season and is not only holding a Wild Card spot but is pushing the Chicago Cubs for the division.

Like the Dodgers, the Brewers have won six of their last ten games and are coming off a 3-3 road trip, losing a series in Queens to the New York Mets and taking two of three in Miami against the Marlins.

In typical Brewers fashion, the team is sneaking by with elite pitching and defense, along with timely hitting, as no one in their lineup has an OPS over .800 this season.

Pitching match-ups

Game One: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6, 2.51 ERA) vs Freddy Peralta (9-4, 2.91 ERA)

Game Two: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (4-0, 3.43 ERA) vs Jacob Misiorowski (3-1, 3.20 ERA)

Game Three: Dustin May (5-5, 4.52 ERA) vs Jose Quintana (LHP) (6-3, 3.44 ERA)

Game Times

Game One: 4:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin

Game Two: 4:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, TBS (out-of-market-only)

Game Three: 11:10 AM PT, SportsNet LA, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, MLB Network (out-of-market-only)

Who’s in & who’s out?

Prior to their series against the White Sox last week, the team placed right-handed closer Michael Kopech back on the injured list with knee inflammation.

Kopech stated that he could have pitched through the pain, but he did not want to overcompensate with his arm and risk an injury. The righty does not expect to miss much time on the injured list, but with the All-Star break less than a week away, he’ll probably return in the second half.

Lost during the White Sox series was third baseman Max Muncy, who suffered a significant left-knee bone bruise and will miss the next eight to ten weeks.

Thankfully, the injury was not season-ending, and the All-Star contender is expected to return sometime in the second half of this season.

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow is also expected to be activated off the 60-day injured list during this road trip, likely after this series against the Brewers. Glasnow tossed 4.1 innings of three-run ball with eight strikeouts in his final rehab outing on July 3rd.

Lefty Blake Snell is also set to begin a minor league rehab assignment late this week after another successful live bullpen session at Dodger Stadium.

Joining Snell will be veteran righty Blake Treinen, who also completed another wave of facing live batters this past weekend. Both arms have been out since April and will provide the pitching staff with some much-needed depth for the second half.

10-day Injured List (1): Max Muncy

15-day Injured List (1): Michael Kopech

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

As for the Brewers, unlike the Dodgers, they’re relatively healthy heading into the halfway point of the season.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins is considered day-to-day after experiencing left thumb discomfort while trying to swipe a tag at first base on July 5th.

The former Phillies first baseman underwent X-rays, which came back negative, but Hoskins was still in significant pain and missed the final game of their series in Miami.

Left-handed pitcher and former New York Yankee Nestor Cortes is expected to return to the Brewers rotation after the All-Star break after dealing with a left elbow flexor strain.

The lefty has been out since early April and started a minor league rehab assignment last week.

Left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny’s return is also to be determined after having a rib stress reaction at the end of June. Rob is expected to begin a throwing program on Monday.

Day-to-day (1): Rhys Hoskins

15-day Injured List (1): Rob Zastryzny

60-day Injured List (5): Robert Gasser, Blake Perkins, Nestor Cortes, Connor Thomas, Garrett Mitchell

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