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The Dodgers stacked their lineup with a bunch of right-handers in the series opener against the Rockies, in their second straight game facing a left-handed pitcher.
With southpaw Kyle Freeland on the mound for the Rockies, six of the eight Dodgers position players are right-handed. Corey Seager, who got a rare respite on Thursday against the Mets, is back in the lineup on Friday, along with fellow left-hander Cody Bellinger.
Starting lineups
| Pos | Rockies | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rockies | Pos | Dodgers |
| CF | Blackmon (L) | 2B | Forsythe |
| 2B | LeMahieu | SS | Seager (L) |
| 3B | Arenado | 3B | Turner |
| 1B | Reynolds | 1B | Bellinger (L) |
| LF | Desmond | RF | Hernandez |
| SS | Story | CF | Taylor |
| RF | Tapia (L) | LF | Gutierrez |
| C | Murphy | C | Barnes |
| P | Freeland (L) | P | Wood |
The Dodgers are facing left-handed pitchers in consecutive games for the first time since facing three straight from Apr. 17-19.
Chris Taylor, who started at shortstop for Seager on Thursday, is in center field on Friday night, with Kike Hernandez moved over the right field. Yasiel Puig gets a night off.
Austin Barnes gets the start at catcher, which is noteworthy since it is the first time he is starting consecutive games all season. Barnes is hitting .280/.392/.476 with 11 extra-base hits in 97 plate appearances in 2017, and has stolen four bases without getting caught.
He walked three times in four plate appearances on Thursday night, and stole two bases.