After salvaging the final two series of a nine-game road trip, the Los Angeles Dodgers will return home Monday night to face the St. Louis Cardinals, bringing their modest haul from last week’s trade deadline with them.
The Dodgers added right-handers Brock Stewart and Paul Gervase, as well as outfielder Alex Call, while awaiting roster mainstays to return from injuries for the stretch drive. Gervase was up for one day after the trade before he was shipped to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles third baseman Max Muncy is expected back from a bone bruise in his knee at some point during a six-game homestand.
Help on offense was sorely needed when the Dodgers were on an 18-inning scoreless streak over the weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. Freddie Freeman, however, had three hits and an RBI in a 3-0 Los Angeles victory on Sunday.
The Dodgers have moved Shohei Ohtani back to the leadoff spot after a two-week experiment that had Mookie Betts at the top. Ohtani had two hits, two walks and a run Sunday as Los Angeles won two of three games at Tampa after winning two of three at Cincinnati.
“It’s kind of just trying to figure out what’s best short-term,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his most recent lineup change, while his team went 5-4 on its three-city trip. “Longer term, we’ve got (Muncy) coming back soon. Will (Smith) is not playing every day, obviously, as a catcher. Just trying to figure it out.”
Roberts will send Tyler Glasnow (1-1, 3.38 ERA) to the mound Monday for the right-hander’s fourth start since he returned from more than two months away with shoulder inflammation.
Glasnow, who was roughed up for four runs with five walks in four innings Tuesday in his team’s 5-4 win at Cincinnati, is 1-2 with a 2.22 ERA in seven career appearances (three starts) against St. Louis.
The Cardinals are set to send right-hander Sonny Gray (10-5, 4.38) to the mound in the opener of the three-game series. Gray has given up a combined 17 earned runs, and 19 total runs, over his last three starts.
Gray’s recent struggles included 30 hits allowed over his last 13 1/3 innings, although he gave up just three runs in a 5-0 home loss to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
“Overall, when you look at his career — especially the last few years — July hasn’t treated him well, but he bounces back and does a really nice job,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told reporters. “So we’re looking forward to that next (start).”
Gray is 2-4 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 2.89 ERA in eight starts and is 1-2 with a 3.07 ERA in five starts at Dodger Stadium.
Like the Dodgers were on Sunday, the Cardinals will be searching for some offense after they were held scoreless through eighth innings on one hit at San Diego before falling 7-3 to the Padres.
The Cardinals at least carried a little momentum on their bus ride up the California coast with three runs on five hits and a walk in the ninth inning of their loss. Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker had RBI singles.
Since 2019, the Cardinals are just 35-54 in road games against National League West clubs.
–Field Level Media
