Not Good Lately
Greg Maddux’s 2008 debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t go too well. He’ll hope for a better effort as the reeling Dodgers look to avoid a season-high sixth straight loss when they face the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
In his first start since being acquired from San Diego, Maddux (6-10, 4.25 ERA) was roughed up in his return to the Dodgers (65-67). He allowed seven runs and nine hits – two home runs – in 5 2-3 innings of an 8-1 loss at Philadelphia on Friday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Los Angeles -181 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 57% of bets for this game have been placed on Washington +161 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
"They weren’t going after bad pitches and were hitting strikes," said Maddux, who was 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA after being traded to Los Angeles from the Chicago Cubs in 2006. "When you give up five runs on two swings, it’s hard to win like that."
The 42-year-old right-hander, who has 353 wins and is one shy of tying Roger Clemens for eighth on the career list, now faces the Nationals (47-85) for the first time since 2005 and the second since the franchise moved from Montreal to Washington.
Maddux, 24-17 with a 2.55 ERA in 58 starts against the franchise, will try to help the Dodgers avoid falling further back of first-place Arizona in the NL West after losing 2-1 to the Nationals on Tuesday.
Los Angeles, which lost 5-0 to Philadelphia on Monday, has been outscored 29-6 during its last five contests. Manny Ramirez had three hits and Matt Kemp added the RBI Tuesday for the Dodgers, who have lost seven of eight and are 0-5 on a 10-game road trip.
"We’re having trouble scoring runs, and everybody probably goes up there squeezing the sawdust out of the bats," said manager Joe Torre, whose team looks to avoid an eighth consecutive road loss. "I don’t think there’s any magic formula other than keep going out there and fighting the frustration we seem to be experiencing."
Ramirez is batting .379 (33-for-87) with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 24 games since coming over to Los Angeles from Boston. He is 8-for-16 in four games against Washington.
Cristian Guzman had three hits with an RBI on Tuesday, Lastings Milledge hit his 13th homer and five Nationals pitchers helped the club to its third win in five games since losing 12 in a row. Milledge is batting .344 (11-for-32) with four doubles, a homer and four RBIs in his last nine contests, while Guzman is 6-for-17 in his last four games.
The Nationals will again be without outfielder Austin Kearns, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday due to a stress fracture in his left foot. He has struggled this season, batting .217 with seven homers and 32 RBIs.
"It has been tough. It’s part of the game," Kearns told the Nationals’ official Web site. "Things like this, you hope to learn from and get better."
Tim Redding (8-8, 4.54) looks to avoid a third straight loss when he takes the ball for the Nationals. He allowed a run and three hits in six innings, but failed to earn a decision in a 4-3 win over Philadelphia on Thursday.
The right-hander, who is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA in three outings since winning at Colorado on Aug. 4, is 0-3 with a 6.24 ERA in three starts versus the Dodgers.
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