Dodgers Begin Four Game Series with Brew Crew on Memorial Day

Dodger Lineup vs. Milwaukee

Shawn Marcum-2-3 vs. Aaron Harang-3-2

 *Update-It is official Lilly has been placed on the DL with shoulder inflammation. Michael Antonini has been called up but only until Nathan Eovaldi arrives which should be tomorrow. Lilly has said he will resume throwing on Thursday or Friday. Also before the game the Dodgers will be honoring Army Seargent Luis Garcia of Orange, California, as part of their Memorial Day tribute to our Men of Service.

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer, and the one quarter mark of the Major League Baseball season. The Dodgers stand at 32-15 with the best record in Baseball and in first place in the NL West. The Dodgers remain 7.5 games in front of the second place Giants. It’s hard to believe that the Dodgers have the best record at Memorial Day, but here we are.

On the injury front, another Dodger regular has fallen to injury. This time it’s a starting pitcher. Lefty Ted Lilly will be disabled with what is being rumored to be reported as a shoulder injury, and Nathan Eovaldi will be called up to pitch in his spot on Tuesday. Although the Dodgers have not officially announced this yet. Last season Eovaldi started six games for the Dodgers posting a 1-2 record, and a 3.63 ERA. Tuesday would be his first MLB start of the year The Dodgers are keeping very quiet on Lilly’s injury. I wonder if it is related to his rusty neck that caused him to miss his first start of the season. Last week Lilly had his worst start of his career last week which caused concern when he gave up eight earned runs to Arizona. Lilly had been excellent this year, with a 5-1 record, and a 3.14 ERA.

Eovaldi was originally scheduled to start on Saturday for Chattanooga, but was removed after one inning causing the speculation that he would be called up to replace Lilly. The Dodgers had taken a look at Roy Oswalt but his asking price is too high. The Dodgers are keeping tight lipped about Lilly’s undisclosed shoulder injury, and that is all we know at the moment.

Dodgers Perennial MVP Matt Kemp is due back tomorrow. (thank god). Right now Matt Kemp, and Juan Rivera are both rehabbing down in Albuquerque. Last night both men homered and combined to go 3 for 5. Kemp is expected to play today, then rejoin the team tomorrow. Rivera is expected to be back later in the week.

The Dodgers will open a four game series tonight with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers lost two out of three in a Milwaukee series in April. The Brewers come into Dodger Stadium with a 19-28 fifth place in the NL Central, and eight games behind the Reds. This is not the same team that won the NL Central and made it to the NLCS last season. The Brew Crew have nine players on the DL. Of course the Dodgers know all about injuries as they currently have eight players disabled.

For Milwaukee, Fist base prospect Matt Gamel is out for the season with a torn ACL, as is shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Pitcher Chris Narveson is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff. Shortstop Cesar Izturis, the former Dodger, and back-up catcher George Kottaras who beat the Dodgers with a walk-off hit in the series in April are both out with hamstring injuries. The other injured Brewers include, Pitcher Kameron Loe, and infielder Travis Ishikawa. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez is also banged up and doubtful to play with a bruised left elbow. Unfortunately accused roider Ryan Braun is healthy and we will see him.

The Brewers will give the ball to right hander Shawn Marcum. He has pitched somewhat decent this year. He is 2-3 with a 3.93 ERA and an 8.0 whiff per nine rate. Marcum lost in his last start to the Giants when he gave up six runs. In three career starts against the Dodgers Marcum is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA. The Dodgers haven’t seen him much since then. The Dodgers are a collective 9 for 38 (.237) against Marcum. The only Dodger with more than a handful of at-bats off Marcum is Bobby Abreu. Abreu is hitting .263 ( 5 for 19) with a double in his career of Marcum. Jerry Hairston is the only Dodger to hit a home run against the big right hander.

The Dodgers will counter with Aaron Harang. The former NL strikeout leader had one of his worst starts of the year last week, when he allowed nine hits and five earned runs, in 4.1 innings at Arizona. However it was Harang who beat the Brewers back in April for the Dodgers lone win against Milwaukee. In that start Harang went six innings and only surrendered three runs on eight hits and earned the win.

Against Milwaukee, Harang has been relatively effective. Harang has posted a 6-5 record, 4.38 ERA, and 122 whiffs against the Brew Crew. When looking at the past numbers, Harang has seemed to struggle when pitching against Milwaukee, despite having a winning record. The Brewers are hitting .297 off of Harang. Tread carefully because these numbers aren’t pretty. Nyger Morgan is 7 for 16 (.438), Corey Hart 3 for 10 (.333) with a home run and five RBIs, Rickie Weeks, 12 for 43 (.279). The real heavy lifter is third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who is 19 for 60, (.317) with four home runs, and nine RBIs. Yikes. As for Braun, he has been mortal against Harang, 7 for 28 with a .259 average, with three home runs and three RBIs. All total, the Brewers have gone deep eight times off of Harang, so let’s hope Harang can keep the ball in the park. Against the rest of the league, Harang is 3-2 with a 4.36 ERA, and a 7.7 whiff per nine rate.

The Dodgers need to watch out for these Brewers. They may be reeling with injuries, but they still can hit. Also watch out for blazing hot catcher Jonathon Lucroy, who is hitting .345 on the season

Game time is at 5PM on Prime Ticket. Please check back in over here for our nightly recap. BBQ, American Flags, and Dodger Baseball. Could it get any better Dodger fans? Let’s make it a memorable Memorial Day! Go Blue