The Dodgers return home beginning Friday night to host the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, giving the Dodgers a test against the team with the best record in the National League. The Cardinals' pitching staff has been so good this season that their starting five was placed on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated.
In a weird twist, the SI cover jinx struck before even the cover was out as two of those five starters are already on the shelf. Jake Westbrook was placed on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation on May 14, while Jaime Garcia needs season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Here is a look at what is left of the St. Louis rotation, facing the Dodgers this weekend.
Friday, 7:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)
Chris Capuano has made two consecutive excellent starts, though he is still dealing with the strained left calf that sidelined him for roughly three weeks. He gets the opener against Lance Lynn, who is 6-1 with 57 strikeouts in 55 innings this season.
Saturday, 4:15 p.m. (Fox)
The Dodgers' dysfunction will be on full display to a regional audience on big Fox on Saturday afternoon. Ted Lilly returns from the disabled list, and the Dodgers hope he performs more like his first start than his second. The Cardinals start John Gast, who aside from sharing a name with my Spanish teacher in my junior year of high school has a 1.16 ERA in seven starts in the PCL and has won his first two major league starts this season.
Sunday, 1:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)
The series finale gives us one of the best pitching matchups of the young season so far. The Dodgers send 25-year-old ace Clayton Kershaw and his MLB-best 1.35 ERA to the hill, facing 22-year-old Shelby Miller and his 1.74 ERA. Miller in nine starts this season has 62 strikeouts and 15 walks in 57 innings.