After four days off, the Dodgers are back on the field Friday night, in Phoenix to battle the Diamondbacks in the start of a three-game series. Three days after pitching a scoreless inning in his All-Star debut, Clayton Kershaw gets the start for the Dodgers, who have won four straight games. Joe Saunders gets the call for Arizona.
Both teams have made some minor tweaks to their rosters this week. The Dodgers on Tuesday traded for Juan Rivera, and designated Marcus Thames for assignment. Catcher Rod Barajas was activated from the disabled list on Thursday, with backstop A.J. Ellis getting optioned to Triple A to make room. The Dodgers held a full squad workout Thursday night at Chase Field.
Arizona designated Wily Mo Pena for assignment yesterday, and outrighted Juan Miranda to Triple A. Pena would rank fourth on the Dodgers with his five home runs, in just 46 PA, but that was just about all Pena did, hitting .196/.196/.522. First baseman Brandon Allen was recalled from Triple A Reno, where he was hitting .306/.427/.579 with 18 home runs in 83 games. Infielder Geoff Blum was also activated from the disabled list.
Tonight's 6:40 p.m. PDT game will be televised on Prime Ticket. For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.