The Los Angeles Dodgers have set their starting rotation for after the All-Star Break to put the odds in their favor. The club will return to the diamond on Friday night against the Padres, and it'll be ace lefty Clayton Kershaw who takes the mound first. He will be followed on Saturday by Aaron Harang.
Chad Billingsley will pitch the series finale against San Diego. Despite his recent struggles on the mound, Billingsley is 12-8 in his career against the Padres with a very impressive 2.62 ERA in 26 games (22 starts). He faced them on April 6 and struck out 11 in 8.1 shutout innings, so it only makes sense to give him the start.
The next series will be against the struggling Phillies. Chris Capuano will make the start in the series opener on Monday, July 16. Nathan Eovaldi will pitch next, and then Kershaw will go once again in Wednesday's series finale.
Despite their struggles in recent weeks, the Dodgers are still 0.5 games up in the National League West.
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