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LOS ANGELES — Before the Dodgers started their weekend series against the Nationals a trio of three players on the disabled list threw a baseball in various stages of their rehab.
Justin Turner played light catch in the infield and threw long toss in the outfield on Friday but used a partner to catch the ball, to protect his broken left wrist. That partner was Logan Forsythe, who didn’t throw while still dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder.
Both Turner and Forsythe took dry swings on Friday, going through the motions without actually hitting the ball. Turner also for the first time hit off a tee. There is still no timetable for Turner’s return.
Starting lineups
| Pos | Nationals | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Nationals | Pos | Dodgers |
| SS | Turner | CF | Taylor |
| 2B | Kendrick | SS | Seager (L) |
| RF | Harper (L) | C | Grandal (S) |
| 1B | Zimmerman | 1B | Bellinger (L) |
| LF | Sierra | LF | Pederson (L) |
| C | Wieters (S) | 2B | Utley (L) |
| CF | Taylor | RF | Puig |
| 3B | Difo (S) | 3B | Muncy (L) |
| P | Scherzer | P | Kershaw (L) |
Forsythe will be eligible to return as early as Wednesday though it’s unclear exactly when he will be activated.
“I don’t think the pain is there but there’s still some fatigue,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Rich Hill threw as well on Friday, testing his cracked fingernail, and remains likely to just miss one start. “I could start today,” Hill told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Hill’s return is also eligible Wednesday, but with Thursday’s off day he could wait to be activated for next weekend’s series in San Francisco. Roberts on Friday wouldn’t commit to his rotation beyond this weekend. When asked who the candidates were for Monday’s start, he said, “I don’t want to go there yet.”
Brock Stewart and Walker Buehler remain the most likely choices for Monday’s opener against the Marlins.
The Dodgers are stacking left-handers against Max Scherzer, with Max Muncy getting a second straight start at third base plus Chase Utley at second base and Joc Pederson in left field.
Matt Kemp gets the night off, at least to start. He has the most career plate appearances against Scherzer among Dodgers, but is just 6-for-46 with two doubles, a home run, three walks and 14 strikeouts (.130/.184/.239). He started 0-for-22 against Scherzer before getting his first single against him in 2015.
Bryce Harper is just 2-for-23 (.087) with a home run, a double, two walks and 14 strikeouts against Clayton Kershaw in his career. Harper this season is hitting .288/.471/.712, leading the majors in home runs (eight) and walks (24) and leading the National League in RBI (18).
Of Friday night’s pitching matchup, Roberts said of Kershaw and Scherzer, “They’re two of the best competitors in the game. The stuff, the execution, they are in a league pretty much by themselves.”
Washington move
The Nationals before the series opener made a roster move, calling up relief pitcher Carlos Torres for their bullpen and designating pitcher A.J. Cole for assignment.