The Los Angeles Dodgers look for their third straight win on Monday night as they host the San Diego Padres for the first of three games at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers won't have to face Carlos Quentin on Monday, as the cleanup hitter was scratched with right knee irritation.
Chris Denorfia was inserted into the lineup in left field for San Diego, and will bat fifth. First baseman Yonder Alonso, who was originally scheduled to bat fifth, is now hitting cleanup. The Padres, counting their pair of switch hitters, will have seven of their nine batters hit left-handed against right-hander Joe Blanton in the series opener.
Adrian Gonzalez will face the Padres for the second time in his career. Gonzlaez, who hit 161 home runs and drove in 501 runs in five seasons with San Diego, faced the Padres in 2011 at Fenway Park, and the first baseman hit .571 (8-for-14) with a double against his old team.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is glad that Gonzalez is playing for his team now.
"I know he's got a great feel for what he's doing. Talking hitting with him, he knows exactly what he's doing up there, what he's trying to do, the reasons he's trying to do something," Mattingly said. "He's just solid. He's a joy really for me."
Here are Monday's Labor Day lineups from Dodger Stadium:
Padres (62-73)
Cabrera SS (S)
Venable RF (L)
Headley 3B (S)
Alonso 1B (L)
Denorfia LF
Maybin CF
Amarista 2B (L)
Baker C (L)
Werner P (L)
Dodgers (72-63)
Ellis 2B
Victorino LF (S)
Gonzalez 1B (L)
Kemp CF
Ramirez SS
Ethier RF (L)
Cruz 3B
Ellis C
Blanton P
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