Tied for the best record in the major leagues, the Los Angeles Dodgers are set to play host for a three-game series against the worst team in the American League when the Chicago White Sox pay a visit starting Tuesday.
The Dodgers just breezed through a road trip to Colorado and Kansas City, compiling a 5-1 record that included a 5-1 victory over the Royals on Sunday. They received home runs from Enrique Hernandez and Will Smith in the trek’s finale, along with six strong innings from emerging left-hander Justin Wrobleski.
The Dodgers now turn to more of a known commodity, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-6, 2.61 ERA). The right-hander was not at his best in June, but he did put in five shutout innings at Colorado on Wednesday for his first win since May 26. Yamamoto has never faced the White Sox.
After playing a rugged stretch of division opponents in mid-June, going 7-3 against the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers have been facing teams further down in the overall standings.
The visit from the White Sox comes after Los Angeles went 7-2 in a stretch against the Washington Nationals, Rockies and Royals.
“I just think that regardless of opponent, we just focus on playing good baseball, and I think that’s what we’ve done for quite some time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s kind of what we do.”
Dodgers backup infielder Miguel Rojas left the Sunday game with a jammed ring finger on his left hand.
Chicago arrives in Los Angeles for just the second time since 2017.
The White Sox just did the Dodgers a favor, winning two of three at home against the Giants, including a 5-2 victory on Sunday when they rallied for four runs in the seventh inning.
Rookie catcher Kyle Teel had a two-run double in the late uprising and finished with his second three-hit game in five days. Teel is batting .319 in 16 games since making his major league debut June 6.
“A lot of confidence going on in the clubhouse,” Teel said. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen that. We have a gritty team.”
The White Sox have won two of their past three series, having taken two of three at Toronto from June 20-22. It was their first series win on the road since May 13-15 at Cincinnati.
However, they have just two victories over the Dodgers over the past 13 games between the teams. Going back further, Chicago won two of three in Los Angeles during the 2014 season.
The series will be a reunion of sorts. Dodgers right-handed reliever Michael Kopech is set to face his former team, while White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas will square off against old friends.
Vargas is batting .229 with career highs of 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 81 games. However, he is just 1-for-21 with nine strikeouts over his past six games.
Chicago right-hander Shane Smith (3-5, 3.38 ERA) will start the series opener. The 25-year-old rookie was rocked in his past two starts, permitting a combined 11 runs (10 earned) on 10 hits and five walks in 7 1/3 innings.
Shane Smith will be opposing the Dodgers for the first time.
–Field Level Media
