Sheehan, Sasaki Lead Dodgers Vs Cardinals Rotation Plan
dodgers vs cardinals opens this weekend at Busch Stadium with Emeet Sheehan set for the first game and Roki Sasaki lined up for the second. Los Angeles enters at 20-11, but it has dropped two of its previous three series and is trying to steady a rotation plan that now turns to two young arms.
Sheehan Gets Game One
Sheehan will take the ball first after his best recent outing, a 6.1-inning start against the Chicago Cubs in which he allowed one run and four hits while striking out 10. He is 2-0 with a 4.78 ERA across 26.1 innings this season, numbers that make his next start a direct test of whether that strikeout spike can hold against a division race opponent.
The Dodgers need that lift because they have not stacked results cleanly lately. They lost two of three games to the Miami Marlins in their last series and have dropped two of their previous three series overall, leaving little margin as they keep pace in the National League West.
Sasaki Follows in St. Louis
Sasaki gets the second game of the three-game series. He has posted a 6.35 ERA over 22.2 innings this year, so the Dodgers are asking him to follow Sheehan with a start that can keep the series from tilting early in St. Louis.
The matchup carries more weight because these teams do not see each other often in the regular season, and last year the Dodgers went 2-4 against the Cardinals. St. Louis comes in at 18-13 after sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates, which puts the Cardinals third in the National League Central and gives this first meeting of the season at Busch Stadium an immediate edge in the standings race.
Busch Stadium Pressure
Los Angeles still leads the National League West, with the San Diego Padres right behind it, but the recent slide makes the first two games more than just another rotation note. A strong start from Sheehan and a sharper follow-up from Sasaki would give the Dodgers room before the series turns to its third game, while anything less keeps the pressure on a club that has already given up ground in short series this month.
