This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Looking to hold off their hard-charging division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers will receive some reinforcements this week as they open a three-game home series Monday against the Seattle Mariners.
Leading the National League West by 8 1/2 games as recently as July 23, the Dodgers will head into the series with a three-game lead over the San Diego Padres and a four-game advantage on the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Los Angeles closed out a 4-3 road trip Sunday with a 2-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. First baseman Freddie Freeman did not play because of a finger injury, but Shohei Ohtani hit his 39th home run and veteran Clayton Kershaw pitched six shutout innings.
“This road trip, every game has been a really close game for us and I feel like we’re playing really good baseball going into something we want to accomplish, which is winning the division,” Dodgers veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “It was an amazing job by everybody, not just this game but the whole series.”
To help the cause for the stretch drive, the Dodgers are expected to activate infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman for the series opener Monday. Third baseman Max Muncy (oblique) is expected back either Monday or Tuesday. Edman was acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline from the Cardinals.
A former Gold Glove winner at second base who hasn’t played this season because of wrist and ankle injuries, the switch-hitting Edman has delivered double-digit home runs in each of the past three seasons.
He will join a lineup with Ohtani, who also has 37 steals and is closing in on the Dodgers’ first 40-40 season.
The Dodgers will send rookie right-hander Gavin Stone to the mound. Stone (10-5, 3.63 ERA) had a 3 1/3-inning scoreless relief appearance against the Mariners last September when he allowed one hit.
The Mariners’ visit will mark the return of former Dodger Justin Turner, who played nine seasons for his hometown club. He has since played with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and now the Mariners the past two seasons.
It will be Turner’s first game at Dodger Stadium since his departure but he has faced his former club in each of the past two seasons, going 6-for-22 (.273) with two home runs and five strikeouts in six games.
The Mariners will send right-hander Bryan Woo (5-1, 2.06) to the mound Monday. Woo has not given up an earned run in three of his past four starts, including seven scoreless innings at Detroit on Wednesday in a game Seattle eventually lost 3-2.
Woo, a California native in his second major league season, will be facing the Dodgers for the first time.
“He has the capability to do this,” Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh said of Woo, according to the Seattle Times. “It’s just a matter of staying healthy, doing the work — the preparation and all the stuff on the off days to get your body right, finding a routine that works for you. That’s what I see. I think he just needs to dominate the process of doing that.”
Struggling on offense of late, Seattle erupted Sunday for a 10-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Raleigh, Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone hit home runs as Seattle had a hit from everybody in the starting lineup.
Seattle outfielder/designated hitter Mitch Haniger missed the game Sunday with a quadriceps strain and is day-to-day.
–Field Level Media
