Before tonight's game, the Dodgers activated Carlos Monasterios from the disabled list, a move which was expected. However, the corresponding move was not expected: Ronald Belisario was placed on the restricted list for "personal reasons." This is not the first time on the restricted list for Belisario, who began the season there after showing up to camp 35 days late.
On the field, the Dodgers look to win their series with the Marlins with what will likely be their toughest test, facing Josh Johnson, he of the league-leading 1.82 ERA. They will counter Johnson with Hiroki Kuroda, who is coming off the shortest outing of his major league career.
Sure, he gave up six runs while getting five outs Friday in Arizona, but Kuroda was likely a victim of the universe keeping things in order. You see, this is Kuroda's third season as a Dodger, and his numbers seem to always end up around the same:
Hiroki Kuroda: Mr. Consistency | |||
Year | ERA | FIP | x-FIP |
2008 | 3.73 | 3.59 | 3.93 |
2009 | 3.76 | 3.58 | 3.66 |
2010 | 3.78 | 3.56 | 3.68 |
Career | 3.75 | 3.58 | 3.79 |
Don't be surprised when Kuroda gives up three runs in 7 1/3 innings tonight.
Notes
- Up next for Rafael Furcal in the Dodger run-scoring streak pantheon is Zack Wheat, who scored a run in 13 straight games in 1925. Wheat hit .423 with 17 runs scored in his 13 games. Furcal's streak is 12 games, and he is hitting .462 with 17 runs in his streak.
- The Dodgers got younger in their Triple A outfield depth department, releasing 35-year old Timo Perez and signing 27-year old Australian Trent Oeltjen to a minor league deal. Oeltjen made his major league debut with Arizona last season, hitting home runs in three of his first four games, but fell back to reality with a nine-for-50 slump thereafter.
Get your guesses in for Xeifrank's game simulation here.
Game Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket