Dodgers Team News

Dodgers vs Twins: Lineups, Pregame Matchups, and More for August 9

The Dodgers have played 15 of their last 18 games against National League West foes, extending their division lead from 9.5 games to 16 games in that time. Tonight, they kick off a stretch of 22 straight games outside the division, starting with a quick two-game series with the Twins to close out their current homestand.

The Dodgers will send lefty Julio Urias to the mound against Twins righty Joe Ryan. Urias has had four straight excellent starts since his clunker against the Cubs on July 10, going 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA and averaging 6.5 innings per start. Overall, Urias has won his last eight decisions and enters the game with a record of 11-6 and a 2.57 ERA. Urias has never faced the Twins.



On the other side, Ryan was the Opening Day starter for the Twins as a rookie this season and has performed pretty well for them. He’s 8-4 with a 3.67 ERA, but that ERA is inflated by a disastrous start against the Padres on July 29 in which he allowed 10 earned runs in 4.2 innings, including five home runs. That Padres start was his worst of the season, but it marks what might be a trend. Playing in the AL Central, Ryan faces mostly weak opponents, and his worst games have come against good teams from outside the division. Ryan has also failed to get through five innings in six of his 17 starts, which could be relevant against a Dodgers team that is very good at running up pitch counts.

The Dodgers and Twins have played just twice this season, with the Dodgers sweeping a series in Minnesota in April. Most memorable from that series was Clayton Kershaw’s first seven-perfect-inning performance of the season. The Dodgers are the hottest and best team in baseball heading into the series, and while the Twins are in first place in a mediocre division, it looks like a mismatch on paper. This will also mark the first visit to Dodger Stadium for noted cheater and indignant justifier Carlos Correa since he left the Astros after last season.

Justin Turner returns to the lineup for the Dodgers after missing most of the last three weeks. Resurgent Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger are in there against the righty, too. Joey Gallo hasn’t had a great start to his Dodger career, but he will be out in left. 

Today’s game will mark the 109th game of the season for LA. They are currently 75-33, on pace for 113 wins. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM PT.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!

Jeff Snider

Jeff was born into a Dodgers family in Southern California and is now raising a Dodgers family of his own in Utah. During his previous career as an executive at a technology company, he began writing about baseball in his spare time. After leaving corporate America in 2014, he started doing it professionally. Jeff wrote and edited for Baseball Essential for years before joining Dodgers Nation. He's also the co-host of the Locked On Dodgers podcast, a daily podcast that brings the smart fan's perspective on our Boys in Blue. Jeff has a degree in English from Brigham Young University. Favorite Player: Clayton Kershaw Favorite Moment: Kirk Gibson's homer will always have a place, but Kershaw's homer on Opening Day 2013 might be the winner.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button