The Dodgers and Astros series has a ton of storylines that makes for must-watch TV. Earlier this season, bad blood between the Dodgers and Astros stemming from Houston’s World Series cheating scandal came to a head when Joe Kelly’s facial expressions led to a bench-clearing brawl. The second series between the two teams takes place this time in Los Angeles, and despite the bad blood, both teams are focused on different objectives.
For Houston, they are just trying to get back to .500. The Astros have been a disappointment in 2020, especially their 6-17 road record. Despite the poor record, the Astros are solidly in the playoff hunt, holding down the second seed from the AL West with a 3.5 game lead over the Mariners with just under two weeks to play. The chances of catching Oakland for the AL West title are slim to none.
The Dodgers have other issues to deal with. While Los Angeles is cruising with MLB’s best record, they are all of the sudden thin in the starting rotation with the playoffs quickly approaching. This past week, Walker Buehler hit the IL with a blister injury, his second of the year. In the next game, Dustin May took a liner of his left foot, but x-rays were negative and he is listed as day-to-day. Neither figures to be out for an extended period of time. With David Price opting out of the season, and Ross Stripling being traded to the Blue Jays, the Dodgers now are faced with having to revamp their starting rotation deep into the season. It should not have any effect on the playoff standing, but it could affect the Dodgers in the playoffs. Good thing they have the best lineup in all of baseball.
Greinke Returns to LA
Zack Greinke spent three seasons as a Dodger from 2012-2015. Now the veteran comes home, but as a nemesis on a villainous Houston Astros team. Greinke is enjoying a fantastic season, posting a 2.54 FIP and a 1.013 WHIP to go along with an 8.6 K/9 rate. In his last start against Oakland, Greinke gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings while striking out six. That game was his first loss of the season, and now he faces a deep and talented Dodger lineup.
The Astros are in a bit of a slump offensively. Over the past seven games, the lineup has combined to slash .207/.253/.378 with 10 home runs and a .225 BABIP. On the road this season, the Astros have slashed .237/.299/.299 with a .272 BABIP.
Despite the slump, George Springer has excelled recently, posting a 1.010 OPS with three home runs over his past seven games. Carlos Correa has been a road warrior, hitting three homers to go with a .291/.337/.442 slash line.
Dodgers Lineup Hopes to Carry Bullpen
When you have stars like Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and AJ Pollock, who needs a good rotation? Just kidding, good pitching beats good hitting. But the LA lineup is something to behold and will present a tough challenge for Greinke and the Astros. The Dodgers have combined to hit .269/.353/.495 at home, led by Corey Seager’s .369/.425/.708 with five home runs. The Dodgers also hit righties at a .259 clip, led by Betts’s 1.130 OPS with 14 home runs. And AJ Pollock has been on fire recently, slashing .391/.417/.522 in his past seven games.
If the Dodgers can approach those numbers against Greinke, then the staff should survive what is being described as a bullpen day. Due to the injuries and reshuffling the rotation, manager Dave Roberts announced that the starter would come from an existing roster member. That implies that either Alex Wood or rookie Victor Gonzalez could get today’s start. In either case, both are members of a staff that has a combined 15-7 home record with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.025 WHIP.
Notable Trends
- LAD: 11-2 in last 13 at home
- LAD: 14-5 in last 19 games
- Houston: 1-8 in last nine games
- Houston: 1-9 in last 10 road games
