News
McDonald set for second career start
Los Angeles (8-3) vs. Colorado (4-5), 1:10 p.m. PT
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
04/18/09 9:55 PM ET
LOS ANGELES -- After resting regulars Russell Martin, Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake on Saturday, the Dodgers will return to their regular lineup in Sunday's series finale against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium. But that doesn't mean that every Dodgers player will have plenty of experience on the field. Rookie James McDonald will make just his second career start while hoping to forget his first start when he allowed five runs in just 2 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks on April 10. McDonald, though, bounced back by throwing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen on Thursday against the Giants to lower his season ERA to 13.50. Torre said he's expecting a normal outing from McDonald despite pitching out of the bullpen just three days before his scheduled start. "He just had that one inning the other day," Torre said. "And he has nine days since his last start." McDonald, who pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings last season, including 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Phillies in the National League Championship Series, will have the comfort of mind knowing that the Dodgers offense has been hot to start the season. The Dodgers have been especially torrid in their five home games at Dodger Stadium, scoring 36 runs for an average of more than seven runs per game. And dating back to the All-Star break last year, the Dodgers are a Major League-best 28-9 at home. Torre said the Dodgers' explosive offense has helped his starting pitchers this year and that he hopes it has a calming effect on McDonald. "Sometimes pitchers go out there and try to be too perfect," Torre said. "But there's no question that it helps when you have the ability to score runs. Really the key is to stay away from the big innings." Staying away from a big inning will be McDonald's main task as he allowed all five of his earned runs in the third inning in his start against the Diamondbacks before exiting with one out in the frame. Pitching matchupLAD: RHP James McDonald (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
In his first Major League start, McDonald pitched two perfect innings, then imploded. He allowed a home run, walked the pitcher and wound up charged with five runs in 2 1/3 innings. McDonald, who showed remarkable composure during last year's playoffs, was as inconsistent against the Diamondbacks as he had been while compiling a 5.32 ERA in Spring Training. COL: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 2.53 ERA)
Jimenez has got to love L.A. right about now. His history there isn't exactly great. He is 1-0 but with an 11.12 ERA in three starts at Dodger Stadium. However, on Sunday he'll just be happy he's anywhere but Chicago. Jimenez's pitching hand froze during the Cubs' home opener on Monday. He threw 104 pitches in 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, four hits and six walks. He could gain a feel only for his slider, but his fastball and split-finger pitch were taken out of the equation. Weather like that won't be a problem in Los Angeles. Tidbits
Dodgers manager Joe Torre took sole possession of sixth place on the all-time managerial wins list with win No. 2,159 on Friday, surpassing Hall of Famer Bucky Harris. Torre trails Connie Mack (3,731 wins), John McGraw (2,763 wins), Tony La Russa (2,469 wins), Bobby Cox (2,332 wins) and Sparky Anderson (2,194 wins). ... Orlando Hudson batted leadoff on Saturday against the Rockies, marking the first time he has batted first since Sept. 21, 2006 while with the Diamondbacks. ... If the Dodgers win Sunday, the club will tie a franchise record by starting 6-0 at Dodger Stadium to open the season. The last team to accomplish the feat was the 1969 Dodgers. ... Matt Kemp's seventh-inning RBI single extended his hitting streak to 12 games, joining the Cardinals' Chris Duncan as the only players to open with season with hits in 12 straight games. Tickets
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• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, 0-0, 1.50) at Astros (Russ Ortiz, 0-0, 6.23), 5:05 p.m. PT
• Wednesday: Dodgers (Eric Stults, 2-0, 2.61) at Astros (Roy Oswalt, 0-2, 4.26), 5:05 p.m. PT
Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
