The Dodgers get their first look at Citi Field tonight, as Clayton Kershaw faces off against Mike Pelfrey of the Mets. Both pitchers have been successful this season, albeit with contrasting styles:
| Kershaw | Pelfrey | |
| FIP | 3.58, 14th in NL | 4.10, 29th in NL |
| H/9 | 6.5, 4th in NL | 9.8, 43rd in NL |
| BB/9 | 5.3, 56th (last) in NL | 3.1, 31st in NL |
| K/9 | 9.0, 6th in NL | 4.4, 51st in NL |
Kershaw's 2.30 ERA since May 1 is the second-best in the NL during that time. Only Tim Lincecum and his 1.91 ERA has been better.
David Wright, the starting NL third baseman in next week's All-Star game, is mired in a 5 for 40 slump over his last ten games, and his hitting .125/.186/.225 during that span. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News reported that this slump, as well as the Mets' struggles of late, have weighed on Wright:
"It's really been a grind, both mentally and physically, lately," Wright said. "It will be nice to kind of just not think about baseball and not really have to do anything physically. Hopefully, it gives me a little time to stay off my feet, and I hit the ground running come (Tuesday). ... We're not hitting as a team. I'm not hitting individually. I think for us to be successful, I need to swing the bat better than I am now."
Here is a look at the numbers on the road for the Dodger regulars:
| Player | PA | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS | sOPS+ | BABIP |
| Manny | 75 | .333/.467/.567 | 1.033 | 184 | .362 |
| Kemp | 172 | .315/.401/.483 | .884 | 143 | .389 |
| Pierre | 137 | .358/.402/.480 | .881 | 142 | .386 |
| Loney | 177 | .316/.390/.481 | .871 | 139 | .324 |
| Blake | 162 | .273/.352/.511 | .863 | 135 | .313 |
| Hudson | 188 | .283/.339/.380 | .718 | 98 | .348 |
| Furcal | 163 | .252/.340/.336 | .675 | 88 | .282 |
| Martin | 166 | .250/.349/.406 | .655 | 83 | .313 |
| Ethier | 172 | .207/.326/.317 | .643 | 79 | .239 |
| Dodgers Team | 1685 | .274/.357/.401 | .759 | 109 | .321 |
Rafael Furcal has started off July on the right foot, with nine hits in 17 at-bats, hitting .529/.556/.706 so far this month.
Matt Kemp, part of the Final Vote for the MLB All-Star game, should have a good game today if the other candidates have set any sort of precedent:
- Shane Victorino: 4 for 5, two doubles, a homer, five runs, four RBI in a 22-1 nailbiter
- Pablo Sandoval: a grand slam in a 5-4 win over Florida.
- Mark Reynolds: game-winning single against the Padres
- Christian Guzman: 0 for 4; OK, maybe there wasn't a pattern
After you vote for Kemp many, many times, you can also vote for Andre Ethier to win the Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month. Voting ends tonight at midnight.
The Dodgers were 121-131 all-time at Shea Stadium, the Mets' former home.
I was a guest on SportsNet New York's SNY.TV, to discuss the upcoming series. The clip is here:
Get your guesses in for "Clogging The Bases" here.
Get your guesses in for the Manny Ramirez T-Shirt Contest
Game Time: 4:10pm
TV: KCAL