Milwaukee right-hander Colin Rea will have to contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ one-two punch of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts on Tuesday night as the host Brewers look to even the series between division leaders.
Rea (10-3, 3.38 ERA) will oppose rookie right-hander Gavin Stone (9-5, 3.71).
Betts, activated off the injured list on Monday, and Ohtani each homered as the top two hitters in the lineup and drove in all of the Dodgers’ runs in a 5-2 victory during the opener of a four-game set.
Betts, who missed 45 games with a broken left hand, hit a two-run homer in the third inning, his 11th home run of the season. Ohtani took over the National League homer lead with No. 36, a two-run shot in the fifth. The Dodgers’ final run came in the seventh when Ohtani walked and stole his 33rd base before Betts delivered an RBI single.
Clayton Kershaw, in his fourth start since coming off the injured list after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, allowed one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking two in an 83-pitch outing.
The Dodgers, who have won four straight games and seven of their past nine, remain 3 1/2 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres in the NL West. Milwaukee is still 7 1/2 games in front of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
“I think the biggest thing for us is we’re getting some guys back,” Kershaw said. “We’re getting our lineup the way we want to. We’re getting some guys, starter-wise and reliever-wise. We’re having our team look like what we want our team to look like.”
The Brewers have lost eight of their past nine meetings with the Dodgers, including three of four this season.
“I haven’t seen our young guys respond that way,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said following the Monday opener. “I haven’t seen our young guys kind of seem like the moment was a lot. I was a little surprised.”
Milwaukee has scored three runs or less in each of its past three games after a four-game stretch in which it scored 42 runs.
Stone is 0-3 with a 6.91 ERA over his past six starts. In his most recent outing, he allowed three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings but did not get the decision in a 9-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Stone has struck out 89 and walked 32 in 116 1/3 innings while surrendering 14 homers. Opponents are batting .264 against him. He will face the Brewers for the first time in his career.
Rea is coming off one of his best starts of the season. He allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings while tying his career high with nine strikeouts in a 10-0 road win over the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 6.
“People love playing behind him,” Murphy said afterward. “They love that he fills up the zone. They love that he never makes an excuse. He’s prepared for every start. He’s sneaky like an unsung hero. We say it all year — he’s a rock.”
Rea is 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA in his last seven games, including six starts. He is 1-0 with a 5.32 ERA in six career matchups (three starts) vs. the Dodgers.
The Brewers are 14-5 in Rea’s starts this year.
–Field Level Media
