The Los Angeles Dodgers, who are trying to become the top seed in the National League playoffs, are set to open a three-game road series against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles (89-61) sits one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies (90-60) in the battle for the NL’s best record. The Dodgers hold a 3 1/2-game lead over the San Diego Padres (86-65) in the NL West.
Miami (55-95) owns the worst record in the NL.
While the Marlins were off on Monday, the Dodgers beat the Braves 9-0 to split a four-game series. Visiting Los Angeles outscored Atlanta 18-2 in the final two games.
In the Monday win, former Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas went 1-for-1 with three runs, two walks and one steal.
“He exemplifies what I expect in a player,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Los Angeles will start right-hander Bobby Miller (2-4, 8.17 ERA) in the opener at Miami.
Miller, a 25-year-old Illinois native, was Los Angeles’ first-round pick, 29th overall, in 2020 out of the University of Louisville.
He was brilliant as a rookie last year, going 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts.
This year, Miller — who has a 100 mph fastball and a plus curveball — has struggled. His hits-per-nine-innings rate has risen from 7.6 last year to 10.3. His walks are up (2.3 to 4.8 per nine innings), and the same is true for his homers allowed (0.9 to 2.8 per nine innings).
He has never faced Miami.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani enters the series needing two steals and three homers the rest of this season to become the first 50-50 player in those two categories in major league history.
Catcher Nick Fortes will be a main Marlins player tasked with slowing Ohtani on the basepaths.
The Marlins will start right-hander Darren McCaughan (0-0, 7.06 ERA) on Tuesday.
McCaughan, a 28-year-old from California, made his major league debut in 2021. Yet, this will be just his fifth major league start, his fourth this season.
A 12th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2017, McCaughan has a 7.64 career ERA as a starter. He has a 6.66 ERA in nine career relief appearances.
McCaughan, who has never faced the Dodgers, probably won’t pitch for long on Tuesday considering he has never lasted longer than five innings in an outing throughout his career. In other words, Miami’s bullpen should stay loose.
The Marlins arrive home having dropped six of the seven games on their road trip to Pittsburgh and Washington.
Tuesday marks the start of Miami’s final homestand of the year, and it’s a tough one — three games against the Dodgers and three against the Braves.
In the remainder of the season, the Marlins will be looking for individual improvement from their young players.
Corner infielder Jonah Bride, for example, has had a breakthrough season, producing a .771 OPS and 15 extra-base hits in just 59 games.
“Jonah has been a pleasant surprise,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said of Bride, a 28-year-old Milwaukee native who played his first 98 major league games with the Oakland A’s before Miami acquired him in a February trade. “He’s taking good at-bats. He’s taking walks when needed, and when he gets a chance, he takes it.”
–Field Level Media