San Francisco @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2010 ) San Francisco 7, LA Dodgers 5
The Los Angeles Dodgers are moving on without Manny Ramirez for the near future. Again.
The oft-injured veteran slugger went back on the disabled list with a calf injury prior to Tuesday’s 7-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants and is expected to miss approximately three weeks.
It is the latest setback for the Dodgers, who conclude a three-game series against the Giants on Wednesday.
Los Angeles has lost six straight games, with defeat No. 6 coming Tuesday night when San Francisco scored three runs in the ninth.
Ramirez, who is batting .317 with eight homers and 39 RBIs, will be making his third trip to the disabled list this season and the second due to a calf injury. He injured the calf last Friday against St. Louis in his second game since returning from a stint on the DL because of a hamstring injury.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre told the media that an MRI exam conducted on Tuesday determined that Ramirez had suffered a “significant strain.”
All the leg injuries prompt concern on how much the Dodgers can count on having the 38-year-old Ramirez in the lineup. He’s still productive when he plays but has participated in just 61 of 94 games.
Ramirez suffered his first calf injury in late April and missed two-plus weeks. He injured a hamstring on June 29 and returned on July 15, one day before his latest injury.
With Reed Johnson (back) currently on the disabled list, Xavier Paul will see most of the action in left field. Paul went 3-for-4 on Tuesday to raise his average to .270.
San Francisco left-hander Barry Zito will look to help San Francisco finish off the sweep tonight.
Zito is coming off a sensational outing against the New York Mets in which he pitched eight scoreless innings. He struck out 10 and allowed just two hits.
The strong outing was reminiscent of his fast start when Zito went 5-0 with a 1.49 earned-run average over his first six outings.
Zito (8-4) had gone five straight starts without winning prior to handcuffing the Mets, lowering his ERA to 3.51.
Zito took a no-decision against the Dodgers earlier this season when he gave up two runs in six innings. Zito is 6-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 15 career starts against Los Angeles.
Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp (.457 in 35 at-bats) and shortstop Rafael Furcal (.393 in 28 at-bats) have fared well against Zito. First baseman James Loney is just 1-for-20 (.050) against Zito.
Struggling right-hander Chad Billingsley (7-5, 4.61 ERA) starts for the Dodgers. Billingsley gave up seven runs and 10 hits in four innings against St. Louis last Friday, matching his career high for earned runs allowed. He also allowed seven to the Los Angeles Angels on June 11.
Billingsley is just 1-3 in his last seven starts since winning four consecutive starts in May.
Billingsley is 4-2 lifetime with a 3.63 ERA against San Francisco. He wasn’t involved in the decision when he allowed two runs in six innings against the Giants in late June.
San Francisco’s Buster Posey went 2-for-4 on Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. Posey is hitting .352.