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The Dodgers should get another long look at the Padres bullpen in Game 3 of the NLDS, with left-hander Adrián Morejón starting on Thursday night for San Diego.
Padres manager Jayce Tingler announced on Wednesday night that Morejón starts this game, and if San Diego is able to extend the series they would turn to Chris Paddack to start Game 4. That makes Thursday night more of a bullpen games.
Morejón’s longest outing this season is three innings, done three times. To find a Morejón outing longer than three innings, you’d have to go back to April 16, 2019, when he started and pitched 5⅔ innings for Double-A Amarillo. He started against the Dodgers on September 16 and pitched two-plus innings, allowing two runs.
NLDS Game 3 lineups
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Padres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Padres |
| RF | Betts | CF | Grisham (L) |
| SS | Seager (L) | SS | Tatis Jr. |
| 3B | Turner | 3B | Machado |
| 1B | Muncy (L) | 1B | Hosmer (L) |
| C | Smith | LF | Pham |
| CF | Bellinger (L) | DH | Moreland (L) |
| LF | Pollock | RF | Myers |
| DH | Pederson (L) | 2B | Cronenworth (L) |
| 2B | Taylor | C | Castro |
The Dodgers faced nine Padres pitchers in that mid-September game, seven of whom are among the 15 active pitchers on San Diego’s NLDS roster. Only four relievers were used by the Padres in Game 2, which might make this the most rested San Diego’s bullpen has been all postseason.
The usual eight start for the Dodgers again, plus Joc Pederson starting at designated hitter for the second time in this series, batting eighth.
San Diego is the home team for Game 3, the first time the Dodgers are the road squad since Sept. 20 at Coors Field.
A decent encapsulation of why Dustin May is starting may be his numbers against three prominent Padres right-handers:
- Fernando Tatis Jr. is 1-for-13 (.077) with five strikeouts against him
- Manny Machado is 4-for-16 (.250) with two highlight-reel strikeouts
- Wil Myers is 2-for-11 (.182) with two strikeouts
May retired all six batters he faced in relief in Game 1 on Tuesday, including Tatis, Machado, and Myers. Right-handers hit .198/.220/.302 against May during the regular season, with 24 strikeouts against only three walks.
Mitch Moreland makes his first start of the NLDS, hitting sixth at designated hitter for the Padres. Moreland laced an RBI double against Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning of Game 2 in his only at-bat of the series to date. Jason Castro catches for San Diego after Austin Nola started the first two games behind the plate.