The Dodgers throwing a bullpen game in Game 4 of the NLDs went a long ways toward throwing the Padres off their game last October.
Guess they think it can’t hurt to try another, especially with 14 pitchers on the injured list and Shohei Ohtani only at the live batting practice phase of his throwing program.
Right-hander Lou Trivino will start get Tuesday’s start (6:40 p.m.), with the expectation that right-hander Matt Sauer will see bulk innings. Because the Padres don’t know — and couldn’t know — what the script looks like, they will roll with the same lineup as Monday’s, except Martín Maldonado (.469 OPS) will catch and bat ninth instead of Elias Díaz (.592 OPS).
Game 2 on deck. pic.twitter.com/LDBjSZgyej
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 10, 2025
That means the Dodgers will have some left-handed lanes — Jackson Merrill and Gavin Sheets at four and five and Jake Cronenworth and Tyler Wade at seven and eight — to attack with the likes of left-handers Tanner Scott (4.11 ERA), Alex Vesia (2.89 ERA), Anthony Banda (3.82 ERA) and Jack Dreyer (2.83 ERA).
Breaking that up might require the Padres to tweak the first three hitters in the lineup (Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez, Manny Machado), something that they have not done all season.
“I mean, we’ve got a lineup with some lefties in there,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “There’s going to be lanes. It’s what it is.”
Even in a loss, the Padres (37-28) are at least coming off their highest run total since May 28. They did, however, score six of their seven runs in the first three innings and was shut out four innings by the bullpen before an automatic runner scored in the 10th on Jackson Merrill’s double.
It was Merrill’s only hit in the game as he’s hitting .196/.240/.289 over his last 25 games.
Sheets is also in quite the funk (.176/.239/.412 over 24 games) as is Tatis (.188/.265/.338 over 33 games), although Tatis went 1-for-3 with two walks on Monday.
Here is how the Dodgers (40-27, 1st in NL West) will line up for Game 2:
Tonight's #Dodgers lineup at Padres: pic.twitter.com/a8F5Yt5flg
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 10, 2025
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Dodgers RHPs Lou Trivino (1-0, 3.97 ERA) / Matt Sauer (1-0, 3.05 ERA)
The Dodgers designated right-hander Jose Urena for assignment to make room for Sauer, who is expected to get bulk innings behind Trivino.
Trivino, 33, had a 5.84 ERA in 12⅓ innings to start the year with the Giants, but he’s struck out 10 in 10⅓ innings since catching on with the Giants. Today’s start will be his first since his rookie year with the A’s in 2018.
Sauer, 26, has a 5.11 ERA in 37 innings since making his debut last year with the Royals and he’s allowed three homers in 20⅔ innings this year with the Dodgers while throwing as many as five innings in a bulk appearance.
Only Sheets has faced Sauer, walking in his lone plate appearance last year.
Padres RHP Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72 ERA)
His hit rate is up from 6.5 per nine innings last year to 8.7 this year and his WHIP is up from 1.07 to 1.31. Cease has gone three straight starts without a quality start (5.52 ERA) and has just four quality starts this season. Cease last faced the Dodgers in the NLDS, allowing eight runs in five innings across two starts, both losses for the team. Cease is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in four regular-season starts against the Dodgers. He allowed four runs in 10⅔ innings (3.38 ERA) in two starts last year.
Here is how Cease has fared in the regular season against current Dodgers:
