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The Dodgers finally get Rich Hill back on a major league mound on Tuesday night against the Giants, exactly one month since his last start.
Hill, who missed seven weeks in 2016 with blister problems and who was touch-and-go down the stretch, already had one 10-day disabled list stint after his first start this year, with a blister on his left middle finger. Then in his comeback start on Apr. 16, he had to leave after three innings with more blister problems and has been fighting to get back since.
Hill made two minor league rehab starts with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga without incident, so that was encouraging, and because he knows no other way, was basically throwing in some form or another just about every day for the last month, blister be damned.
The man has been itching, sometimes quite literally, to get back to the mound.
Dave Roberts on Rich Hill: "He's been a caged lion for a long time."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) May 16, 2017
Hill gets to take out that aggression on the Giants, winners of four straight games, including Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers.
After joining the Dodgers last year, Hill only made six regular season starts, but three were against the Giants. The left-hander allowed just three total runs in 16 innings in those three starts (a 1.69 ERA), with 14 strikeouts and two walks.
The Giants still managed to win two of those three Hill starts.
Believe it or not, but the Dodgers have won five straight games against left-handed starting pitchers, and one of those was against Ty Blach, who starts Tuesday night for San Francisco.
The Dodgers scored two runs in five innings against Blach on April 25.
In May, the Dodgers are hitting .277/.370/.454 against southpaws.
Game info
Time: 7:15 p.m. PT
TV: SportsNet LA