Dodgers at Nationals
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill was released by the Washington
Nationals 16 months ago and now he has the opportunity to make them regret it and put them in a huge hole. Hill draws the start on Saturday as the
Dodgers look to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five National League
Division Series against the host Nationals.
Hill was unable to land a spot on Washington's pitching staff prior to the 2015 season and was being utilized as a reliever at Triple-A Syracuse before being released. He resurrected his career with a fine first half of the season with Oakland before being dealt to the Dodgers. Justin Turner hit a two-run homer and Corey Seager launched a solo shot as Los Angeles prevailed 4-3 in the series opener on Friday. The Nationals haven't won a postseason series since relocating from Montreal following the 2004 campaign - losing in 2012 and 2014 - and the franchise has captured just one (1981) since the Expos began play in 1969.
TV: 4:08 p.m. ET, FS1
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Tanner Roark (16-10, 2.83)
Hill went 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in six starts after being acquired from Oakland and didn't pitch more due to a severe blister issue that began while he was with the Athletics. "It wasn't the normal type of blister, I guess. It was more of an outlier," Hill said at Friday's press conference. "It was a blister that was more on the pad of my finger, and it wasn't so much on where you would see a normal pitcher's blister on the tip of their finger." Hill, who is 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Nationals, lost his lone postseason start back in 2007 as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Roark draws the Game 2 start with injured Stephen Strasburg (elbow) not on the series roster after enjoying a campaign in which he set career bests for victories and ERA while limiting opposing batters to a .228 average. The 30-year-old is making his first career postseason start and called it "a dream came true" at his press conference on Friday. "But you've got to go out there and be confident in everything that I do," Roark said. "And you know, be aggressive and keep doing what I did all during the season. Not change anything and just be myself."
WALK-OFFS
1. Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy (strained buttocks muscle) went 1-for-3 with a walk in his first start since Sept. 17.
2. Los Angeles RHP Kenley Jansen, who recorded a career-best 47 saves in the regular season, registered his first five-out save since April 13 in Game 1.
3. Washington CF Trea Turner, LF Jayson Werth and SS Danny Espinosa each struck out three times in the series opener.