Blue Jays at Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers take on a pair of American League East teams during a six-game homestand this week, starting with the first three against the fourth-place Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. The National League West-leading Dodgers, who face the major league-best New York Yankees for a three-game showdown this weekend, come home after dropping three of the final four contests on a 3-3 road trip.
Max Muncy should be well rested after sitting out Sunday’s 5-3 loss at Atlanta as he looks to extend his seven-game hitting streak and homer in his fourth straight contest for Los Angeles, while teammate Justin Turner is 13-for-27 with five homers over his past seven outings. Three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, who beat the Blue Jays in their only previous meeting in 2016, gets the call in the series opener for the Dodgers and Toronto turns to Sean Reid-Foley after he split his last four decisions. The Blue Jays dropped the final two contests against Seattle on the weekend to finish 5-5 on their 10-game homestand and take on the Mariners after visiting the Dodgers for the first time since 2007. Toronto’s rookie slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (14 homers, 54 RBIs) missed Sunday’s game due to knee inflammation and is questionable for the series opener.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Sean Reid-Foley (2-3, 3.00 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (12-2, 2.63)
Reid-Foley struggled last Wednesday against Texas, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings after giving up one or fewer runs in three of his previous four outings. The 23-year-old native of Guam has issued 13 free passes in his last four outings (17 1/3 innings), but served up just three homers in 30 frames overall in 2019. Reid-Foley is 1-1 with an 0.82 ERA in three appearances at home this year and beat Miami in his lone career interleague outing.
Kershaw has won his last four starts and permitted a total of eight runs while going unbeaten in his last seven trips to the mound. The 31-year-old Texas native limited the Miami Marlins to two hits over seven scoreless innings last Wednesday with 10 strikeouts and has lost just once since June 7. Brandon Drury has homered against the All-Star but is 1-for-11 in his career versus Kershaw, who gave up two runs over seven innings in his only meeting with Toronto in 2016.
WALK-OFFS
1. Los Angeles INF Jedd Gyorko, who was acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline went 2-for-4 on Sunday in his debut with the team.
2. Toronto’s rookie SS Bo Bichette boasts five homers and 12 doubles with a .333 batting average in his first 20 major league games.
3. The Dodgers are expected to activate INF Enrique Hernandez (hand) and INF-OF Chris Taylor (forearm) as early as Tuesday.