Dodgers finish off first half against the Padres

The Dodgers will face the Padres in a four-game set before taking off on the All-Star break. Los Angeles is 4-1 against San Diego this season, including a two-game sweep of the Padres at Dodger Stadium in mid-May.

Chavez Ravine is exactly where the Dodgers want to be playing right now. In their last five home games, the boys in blue made comebacks in the ninth inning or later for five-straight walk-off wins. Overall, the Dodgers have an impressive 36-9 record at the ravine. They also flaunt the best record in baseball and hold a whopping 16-game lead over the Padres in the division.

The Padres are one game under .500 on the road and are currently on a four-game losing streak.

Game one: Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-2, 1.83 ERA) vs. Dinelson Lamet (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Thursday, July 4 - 6:10 p.m. PDT

Hyun-Jin Ryu will get another holiday start in his last game before getting the nod for the All-Star game. This year will be Ryu’s first appearance in the All-Star Game. The left hander is making his third attempt to reach 10 wins before the break. In his last outing, he gave up a total of seven earned runs in Colorado to crank up his ERA from 1.27 to 1.83. This outing was out of character for Ryu and he is expected to return back to form on Independence Day. In eight starts at Dodger Stadium this season, Ryu has a 0.94 ERA with just 58 strikeouts and just three walks.

Up against Ryu will be right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet. Lamet is making his first start for the Padres since having Tommy John surgery in April of 2018. The 26-year-old is a strikeout pitcher, with nearly a 30 percent strikeout percentage in his 2017 rookie year.

Game two: Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 3.23 ERA) vs. Eric Lauer (5-7, 3.78 ERA)

Friday, July 5 - 7:10 p.m. PDT

Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the Dodgers in game two of the series. He is coming off of a rather frustrating start at Coors Field, where he tossed seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned). The defense behind him was not strong and the offense didn’t do anything to make up for it.

Kershaw’s outings against San Diego this season are very successful. In two starts against the Padres, he has a 1-0 record, allowing just six runs — all runs scored from four home runs — while recording 11 strikeouts.

On the other side of Kershaw is Eric Lauer, who will be making his 17th start of the season. Lauer tends to pitch well against the Dodgers, boasting a 3-0 record and 1.46 ERA in four starts against LA. In his last game against the Dodgers, he went five innings, allowing two runs to score, including one solo home run to Chris Taylor.

Game three: Kenta Maeda (7-4, 3.78 ERA) vs. Chris Paddack (5-4, 3.05 ERA)

Saturday, July 6 - 7:10 p.m. PDT

Kenta Maeda will start game three after pitching a decent game against the Rockies in Los Angeles. Maeda hit a high pitch count (88) in the fifth inning and was replaced after recording one out. He allowed two runs to score from three hits and struck out five batters while walking two. In seven out of his last 10 starts this season, the right hander has held his opponent to two runs or less.

Headed to the mound for the Padres on Saturday will be Chris Paddack. The rookie appears to have returned to his normal lights-out ways, with an impressive last outing. He pitched 6 innings against St. Louis, holding them to just two hits. Paddack’s last outing against the Dodgers wasn’t quite what he probably hoped. He tossed 4 ²⁄₃ innings at Dodger Stadium, allowing six runs (three earned) from five hits, including two home runs.

Game four: Ross Stripling (3-2, 3.45 ERA) vs. Joey Lucchesi (6-4, 3.91 ERA)

Sunday, July 7 - 1:10 p.m. PDT

Ross Stripling will make his third start since Rich Hill took a trip to the injured list. Since returning to the starting rotation, Stripling hasn’t made it past the fifth inning. In his last outing, he pitched 4 ²⁄₃ innings against the Diamondbacks, allowing four runs to score from seven hits. He got a no decision, as the Dodgers were able to make a late-inning comeback.

Facing off against Stripling is Joey Lucchesi. Lucchesi’s pitching is not consistent this season. In half of his starts this year, he allowed his opponent to score three or more runs. Lucchesi is 0-3 in his career against the Dodgers, all three loses coming in 2018. In his only game against the Dodgers this season, he pitched five innings, giving up three runs from five hits and two walks. He only struck out two batters.