Dodgers begin home stretch with Brewers

While the prospect of must-win games in April and May seems absurd, the Dodgers to have an opportunity to make a run with a favorable schedule over the next three weeks. Starting Friday, the Dodgers play 15 of their next 18 games at Dodger Stadium, with only a three-game trip to San Francisco in between, next weekend.

The Dodgers host the Brewers and Rockies before heading north to play the Giants, then return home for a nine-game homestand against the Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Nationals.

That stretch of home cooking begins Friday night, with Josh Beckett looking for his first win of the season, and looking for some run support. The Dodgers have scored just one run in his last two starts and just seven runs in his four starts on the season.

Only four active Brewers have faced Beckett, and all have had some degree of success against him. Yuniesky Betancourt has hit .438 (7-for-16) with a home run, a triple, and a double against Beckett, while Ryan Braun is 2-for-3 with two home runs. Rickie Weeks is 3-for-6 with a double, and Alex Gonzalez is 1-for-2.

No Dodger has faced Hiram Burgos, who is making his second major league start. But Nick Punto was 0-for-2 against Burgos with a strikeout on Mar. 13 in the second round of the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy. Burgos allowed one run in 13 innings in three relief appearances in the World Baseball Classic for Team Puerto Rico, with 12 strikeouts and four walks.

The last time the Dodgers faced Milwaukee, the Brewers swept four games at Dodger Stadium last May 28-31, the first-ever sweep of Los Angeles by the Brewers.

Game info

Game time: 7:10 p.m. PT

TV: Prime Ticket