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The soaring Los Angeles Dodgers will host the slumping Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday May 1, 2022. The inter-league afternoon matchup will feature Los Angeles Dodgers pitching protege, Walker Buehler, squaring off against Detroit Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
The Dodgers carry a handsome 12-6 record into the weekend series, good enough to place them second in the National League West division behind the San Francisco Giants. The Tigers are in a different boat. They carry a 6-12 record into the series, which places them dead last in the American League Central division.
Match Details
Fixture: Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Dodgers.
Date & Time: Sunday May 1, 4:10 p.m. EDT.
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Venue: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California.
Detroit Tigers Preview
Detroit needs to get back on track. At the time of writing, the club is on a five-game losing skid after losing two straight to the Colorado Rockies and then suffering a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. It will help that star shortstop Javier Baez returned to the lineup several games ago after serving his time on the 10-day injury list with thumb soreness. The 29-year-old will be looking to bolster his offense-hungry squad, which has managed just nine runs in the past five games. Austin Meadows is another bright light in Detroit's batting lineup. The 26-year-old fresh acquisition from the Tampa Bay Rays is hitting .304 to start the season with an OPS of .829.
Detroit's pitching staff also needs to be sharper if the club wants to compete with the Dodgers this weekend. Eduardo Rodriguez carries an ugly 5.03 ERA into Sunday's rubber match with a 1.27 WHIP over four starts. At least the youngster Tarik Skubal has been pulling his weight. The 25-year-old posted a 3.05 ERA this April over four starts.
Key Player: Javier Baez
Javier Baez enters the weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a .257 average, two home runs, and eight RBIs. Keep in mind that he missed a large portion of April due to an injury, which held him to only nine games. Considering that, the former World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs isn't looking so bad.
"Javier Báez: clutch. The Tigers SS hit a go-ahead 3-run shot in the 8th inning." - @ Fox Sports: MLB
Baez crushed a three-run home run against the Twins on Tuesday, which was an encouraging reminder that he's still got his power.
Detroit Tigers Projected Lineup
Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez (LHP)
- Derek Hill (R) CF
- Austin Meadows (L) RF
- Robbie Grossman (S) DH
- Javier Baez (R) SS
- Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B
- Harold Castro (L) 3B
- Jonathan Schoop (R) 2B
- Tucker Barnhart (S) C
- Willi Castro (S) LF
Los Angeles Dodgers Preview
The Dodgers look like the $290 million team they are. They're 12-6 and oddsmaker projections give them a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs. They've dropped two in a row going into the weekend against the Detroit Tigers, but that doesn't worry Las Vegas at all. For Sunday's matchup, ESPN oddsmakers give the Dodgers a 74% chance of winning.
First baseman Freddie Freeman hasn't disappointed his new fanbase. The future Hall of Famer is hitting .310 this April with three home runs, nine RBIs, and an .876 OPS. Then there's the perrenial contact hitter, Trea Turner. The All-Star shortstop is batting .296 for the Dodgers with 21 hits and 16 RBIs.
Key Player: Walker Buehler
Let's not forget the ace of a stacked Dodgers pitching rotation, Walker Buehler. The 27-year-old carries an immaculate 2.55 ERA over 24.2 innings of work into Sunday's matchup. He threw a complete game in his last outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He allowed just three hits, no walks, and struck out 10 over nine beautiful frames. He'll be looking to continue the heat against a desperate Tigers offense.
"Walker Buehler, Filthy 85mph Slider." - @ Rob Friedman
Walker Buehler's arsenal is composed of five effective pitches. The righty uses his four-seam fastball 34.7% of the time, and then switches to his cutter 22% of the time to put batters away. He only throws his changeup 8.8% of the time, but it's effective. When he throws it on two strikes, the changeup strikes batters out 31.3% of the time.
Los Angeles Dodgers Projected Lineup
Starting Pitcher: Walker Buehler (RHP)
- Mookie Betts (R) RF
- Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
- Trea Turner (R) SS
- Max Muncy (L) 3B
- Cody Bellinger (L) CF
- Chris Taylor (R) LF
- Edwin Rios (L) DH
- Gavin Lux (L) 2B
- Austin Barnes (R) C
Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction
We won't disagree with the oddsmakers. The Los Angeles Dodgers will come away with a high run differential victory courtesy of Walker Buehler. Freeman and Turner will continue to put balls in play and score runs, and Buehler will do his thing where he pitches a quality start with minimal hits and runs allowed. Austin Meadows, being a left-handed bat with a good average, will manage to create some offense, but his teammates won't follow suit. Dodgers will win this one 6-1.
Where to follow the Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Watch: Bally Sports (Detroit), MLB TV, SportsNet LA (Dodgers).
