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The Dodgers had a successful first homestand of the year, winning four of their first six games, and now head out on the road for some National League West action. First up is Petco Park, where the Dodgers will be the opponent for the Padres' home opener for the second year in a row. Here are the pitching matchups for that series in San Diego.
Tuesday, 3:40 p.m. (KCAL)
Josh Beckett is the black sheep of the starting staff so far and that is after a quality start! Beckett allowed three earned runs in six innings against the Giants on Wednesday, but he also allowed two unearned runs. After allowing two home runs in each of his last two exhibition starts and his season debut, Beckett will see if he can keep the ball inside of Petco Park in the series opener. Clayton Richard is 6-3 with a 3.16 ERA in 13 career starts against the Dodgers, and the left-hander has neutralized Andre Ethier to the tune of four singles in 28 at-bats (.143).
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)
Chad Billingsley will be activated from the disabled list to make his 2013 debut, and will face off against old friend Eric Stults in a battle of Dodgers draftees with the same number of career shutouts for Los Angeles (two). Dating back to 2012, the Dodgers have won Billingsley's last seven starts, and he is 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA during that span. After bouncing around to Japan, Colorado, and the south side of Chicago, Stults found a home in 2012 with San Diego, where he was 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 18 games, including 14 starts. Stults pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts at Citi Field on Thursday to earn the only Padres win to date.
Thursday, 7:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)
Zack Greinke starts the series finale, looking to keep his spotless record intact. After the Dodgers will have faced five left-handed starters in their first eight games, including three southpaws in a row, they will face right-hander Jason Marquis, who has a 5.11 ERA since leaving Colorado after 2009 but has pitched quality starts against the Dodgers in each of the last two seasons.