Hiroki Kuroda over the weekend told the Dodgers he wished to honor his contract and remain with the team through the end of the year rather than be traded to a contender. Tonight, he starts for the Dodgers looking for run support as the Dodgers continue a three-game series at Petco Park in San Diego. The Dodgers won the opener of the series 6-2 behind Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp on Monday night.
Kuroda has an absurdly unfair 6-13 record this season despite a 3.11 ERA. In his last 12 starts, Kuroda has a 3.38 ERA plus 55 strikeouts against just 17 unintentional walks, yet he is 1-10. The Dodgers have scored 24 runs in those 12 starts.
Mat Latos gets the start for the Padres, looking for some run support of his own. San Diego has scored 26 runs in his last nine starts, during which Latos has one win. He allowed just one run in 7 1/3 innings at Dodger Stadium on July 8, but got hung with the loss as the Dodgers won one of two straight 1-0 games over the Padres.
Kemp has a nine-game hitting streak, during which is hitting .444/.462/.778. The Dodgers are 7-3 against the Padres this season.
Tonight's 7:05 p.m. PDT game will be televised on KCAL. For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read True Blue LA.