It’ll formally be group No. 13 for Wealthy Hill as he takes on the Dodgers as we speak in San Diego as a pair of commerce deadline acquisitions face off at Petco Park.
After rallying to snap a 6-game dropping streak towards the Dodgers final evening, the Padres sit 9 video games behind Los Angeles within the Nationwide League West with 51 video games remaining on their schedule. That’s a 2.5% to win the division and a 47.3% to make up the two.5 video games they at present path and earn one of many three NL Wild Card spots.
Whereas as we speak can be Hill’s debut for the Padres, Lance Lynn‘s first outing for the Dodgers most likely ranked round one in all his finest 5 in 2023. Going 7 innings for the fourth time this season, Lynn allowed three runs all on solo photographs to the Oakland A’s, just about what you’d anticipate, whereas putting out 7 batters, the tenth time he’s reached that quantity this season.
Right here’s the place the 2 of them evaluate coming into tonight as a reunion with Hill could have been an choice for the Dodgers after how determined they turned on the deadline for actually another arm that would throw a baseball properly from the mound.
| 2023 Stats | Lynn | Hill |
| ERA | 6.32 | 4.76 |
| xERA | 4.81 | 5.59 |
| FIP | 5.32 | 4.45 |
| xFIP | 4.05 | 4.71 |
| DRA | 4.89 | 6.10 |
| Ok% | 26.9% | 19.6% |
| BB% | 8.2% | 8.9% |
| HR/FB% | 20.9% | 10.8% |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 4:00 P.M. | San Diego | ||
| RF | Betts | 3B | Kim |
| 1B | Freeman (L) | RF | Tatis |
| DH | Martinez | LF | Soto (L) |
| 2B | Rosario | DH | Machado |
| 3B | Taylor | SS | Bogarts |
| LF | Hernandez | 2B | Conenworth (L) |
| CF | Outman (L) | 1B | Choi (L) |
| SS | Rojas | C | Sanchez |
| C | Barnes | CF | Grisham (L) |
| P | Lynn (R) | P | Hill (L) |
With Max Muncy nonetheless out, Chris Taylor is at third for the third consecutive recreation towards the Padres whereas Will Smith is on the bench as Austin Barnes begins at catcher for Lynn. Amed Rosario is again within the cleanup spot once more as he’s nonetheless slashing .292/.320/.500/.820 in his 25 PAs as a Dodger regardless of going 0-for-3 final evening. Jason Heyward and David Peralta will be a part of Smith and Muncy on the bench as we speak because the Dodgers proceed to face left-handed pitchers.
Particularly, right here’s the entire just lately courtesy of Eric Stephen.
They confronted 7 LH starters within the earlier 36 video games earlier than that
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) August 6, 2023
For the Padres, it’s the identical batting order as yesterday with some tweaks to the positions. Manny Machado‘s transfer to designated hitter pushed Ji Man Choi to first, Jake Cronenworth to second and Ha-Seong Kim to 3rd.
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Right here’s the place Wealthy Hill is at 43 years previous and after 22 begins with the Pirates in 2023.
As has been the case for principally 9 years now, Hill makes use of his curve between 35 and 40% of the time together with his four-seamer 35 to 55% of the time. It’s solely right down to the mid-30s now as a result of whereas with the Purple Sox and Pirates, Hill has began to combine in a cutter and sweeper a bit extra usually.
Hill hasn’t thrown any tougher than round 90 to 91 since 2014, so his fastball sitting at 88 mph with a cutter at 83 mph and a sweeper at 69 mph principally is smart. It most likely comes as no shock that Hill’s sweeper is about 4 mph slower than the following lowest, Chris Bassitt‘s 73.1 mph, and his curve at 71.8 mph is simply forward of Bassitt’s 70.6 mph whereas tying with new Dodger Ryan Yarbrough‘s curve as properly.
Hill, who unsurprisingly has confronted all 30 groups at this level, final confronted the Dodgers in 2021 after being traded from Tampa Bay to New York. Going through of with Max Scherzer, Hill allowed three runs on six hits in 5 innings. All three runs had been solo homers, with Trea Turner, Albert Pujols and Taylor all doing so towards fastballs. Hill’s solely different begin towards the Dodgers, with the 2 simply being a profession low towards all groups, got here all the way in which again in 2007 with 6 shutout innings for the Cubs.
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Whereas it was left-handed batters Lynn struggled towards in 2023, his first outing for the Dodgers included a trio of house runs by right-handed batters. Two got here towards 91 mph fastballs with the opposite towards an 88 mph cutter. These had been the one three hits Lynn allowed to right-handed batters within the recreation whereas 5 of his seven strikeouts and his lone stroll made up 9 of the 12 plate appearances for righties.
As for the left-handed batters, Lynn allowed two doubles and recorded the opposite two strikeouts in 15 plate appearances. Tony Kemp and Seth Brown mixed for 4 outs on balls hit 94 mph or tougher, however not one of the 4 carried an xBA larger than .250.
It’s already been talked about loads, however right here’s a take a look at how the Dodgers had Lynn method the A’s in his debut. First, for right-handed batters.
That’s a 25% utilization of the curve, the very best Lynn has used towards right-handed batters in 2023 and essentially the most since he hit 38.2% on Aug. 31, 2022. Each situations are respectable outliers in comparison with his utilization over the previous three seasons. It was additionally his lowest cutter utilization towards righties, 6.3%, in 2023 and the bottom share since just about the identical whole at 6.4% on Aug. 19, 2020.
For left-handed batters, the method was fairly simplistic.
That’s 84.4% fastballs, practically 25% larger that his earlier peak of 60.8% again in April and Lynn’s highest utilization of anybody pitch to left-handed batters since throwing his sinker 88.0% on Sept. 7, 2017. He got here shut with the fastball at 81.3% on Sept. 29, 2018, however that is clearly an outlier for 2023. Whereas he’s restricted utilization of his change, slider and sinker at numerous instances this season, the cutter’s earlier low was 8.8% on April 6 after which 12.8% on June 13. Towards the Athletics, Lynn threw the pitch as soon as to a lefty. Mixed together with his utilization towards right-handed batters, that was a complete of 4.3% within the recreation general and the bottom whole since 2018.
Of the 4 cutters he threw, two ended at-bats with these going for a double and a homer. With Lynn’s four-seamer on the lowest horizontal break of his profession (2.9 inches), it’s really beneath the cutter for the primary time (3.0 inches) ever.
Lynn confronted the Padres in his common season finale final yr, permitting only one run on 4 hits and a stroll in 7 innings. A homer by Kim was the lone run allowed.
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As for as we speak’s information, Clayton Kershaw is on observe to return subsequent week.
Clayton Kershaw threw one other bullpen session as we speak, and is on observe to make his return to the Dodgers rotation someday this week
TBD if it will likely be in Arizona or again in LA towards the Rockies
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) August 6, 2023
And Michael Grove is headed to the IL with Bryan Hudson again up once more within the bullpen.
#Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned Bryan Hudson can be activated and Michael Grove will go on the IL with a sore lat, Roberts mentioned.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) August 6, 2023
Since his final transient look in Los Angles, Hudson has pitched in 7 video games for Oklahoma Metropolis with 9 strikeouts to five walks throughout 7 innings. Six of these outing had been scoreless, however one 5 run outing with out recording an out on July 19 ballooned up his season ERA from 1.78 to three.06 earlier than dropping it again right down to 2.61 when he final pitched on Aug. 3.
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First pitch from San Diego is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN.
