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Alex Wood gets the start for the Dodgers on Monday night against the Pirates, in the opener of a three-game series at Los Angeles.
He owns a 1.94 career ERA in 88 innings and is 7-2 at Dodger Stadium, with 80 strikeouts and 18 walks in those 17 games, including 12 starts.
Only four active Pirates have as many as five plate appearances against Wood. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen is 4-for-14 (.286) with a home run, a double, and a walk against him. Josh Harrison is 4-for-13 (.308) with two doubles, and Jordy Mercer is 4-for-12 (.333).
Catcher Francisco Cervelli is 1-for-3 (.333) with a triple and a sacrifice fly against Wood.
Cleaning up
First baseman Cody Bellinger bats cleanup on Monday night for the Dodgers against the Pirates, his first time batting fourth in a major league lineup.
Starting lineups
| Pos | Pirates | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pirates | Pos | Dodgers |
| 3B | Harrison | LF | Toles (L) |
| SS | Mercer | SS | Seager (L) |
| CF | McCutchen | 3B | Turner |
| LF | Polanco (L) | 1B | Bellinger (L) |
| RF | Osuna | CF | Pederson (L) |
| 1B | Bell (S) | 2B | Taylor |
| C | Cervelli | C | Grandal (S) |
| 2B | Moroff (S) | RF | Puig |
| P | Williams | P | Wood |
It is also the seventh different batting order position for Bellinger in 12 games. Including Friday’s cleanup spot, he has started everywhere in the Dodgers batting order except third and ninth.
Bellinger was named National League Player of the Week on Monday, the first Dodgers rookie to capture the award in four years. He has three home runs and nine RBI in his last two games.
As promised, Chris Taylor will see more time against right-handers. He’s batting sixth and playing second base on Monday night.
Surgery for Taillon
Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon was originally scheduled to start Monday’s series opener for the Pirates, before he was placed on the disabled list Saturday with groin discomfort. Turns out, it was much more serious than that.
Taillon, 25, was treated on Monday morning for suspected testicular cancer.
"Jameson has again proven to us what a strong person he is by the way in which he has reacted to this development. We are appreciative of Dr. Lyne and the staff at Allegheny General Hospital for their invaluable expertise and efforts in caring for Jameson," said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington in a press release. "We have told Jameson that our only priority is his health and well-being. His teammates, our coaches, baseball staff and entire organization will support him in his recovery in every possible way and we will keep him in our thoughts and prayers."
Taillon, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, had Tommy John surgery in 2014, and sports hernia surgery wiped out his 2015 season.
“Today I lost a piece of my ‘manhood’,” Taillon tweeted, “But, today I’m feeling more like a man than I ever have. My journey hasn’t been the smoothest. But it’s my journey, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Trevor Williams starts Monday night for the Pirates.