The Los Angeles Dodgers officially set their lineup for their third game of their road trip against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
LA dropped the second game of the series Saturday, narrowly losing by a score of 4-3. They scored all three of their runs in the first two innings of the game, but the offense went quiet afterwards. Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Dodgers placed first baseman Freddie Freeman on the paternity list and called up long-awaited prospect Ryan Ward.
Ward has been in the Dodgers’ organization since they drafted him in 2019, and he is finally getting his shot in the bigs after a few fantastic seasons in Triple-A. He will bat seventh and play first base in Freeman’s place.
Roki Sasaki will make his fourth start of the season against the Rockies, and will hope the NL West’s cellar dwellers can give him a confidence boost after how his first three starts went.
Sasaki has a 6.23 ERA this season, though has shown improvement in each of his starts.
The Dodgers’ lineup starts off just as it has for nearly the whole season, with designated hitter Shohei Ohtani batting first, right fielder Kyle Tucker batting second and catcher Will Smith batting third. Ohtani has the opportunity to make history Sunday, as he will have sole possession of the third longest on-base streak in Dodgers history if he manages a hit or walk in the outing.
Third baseman Max Muncy moves up to the cleanup spot, center fielder Andy Pages will bat fifth and left fielder Alex Call will make a rare start and bat sixth. Newcomer Ryan Ward will play first, as previously mentioned, and shortstop Hyeseong Kim and second baseman Alex Freeland will round out the lineup.
The Dodgers will face off against the right-handed Michael Lorenzen, who is off to a rough start to the season following his triumphs with Team Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
He has a 1-2 record with an 8.10 ERA so far, but the Dodgers should still be wary, as the right-hander is a proven force in MLB and has a no-hitter under his belt.
LA will hope to regain the momentum in the series following Saturday’s loss and put a little more distance between themselves and the Padres, who won their game against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. First pitch for Sunday’s game comes at 12:10 p.m. PT.