Dodgers offense faces a vulnerable Astros bullpen

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HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 28: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on July 28, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dodgers managed to avoid a sweep against the Cardinals with a win on Sunday, facing a familiar face in Dustin May, but overall, the offense won’t have fond memories of their time in St. Louis, averaging 2.33 runs a game. For the second week in a row, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will face a favorable matchup as he takes the ball on Monday against the Houston Astros, who’ll roll with a bullpen game. That decision hardly comes as a surprise for a team dealing with the injury problems in the rotation that they have had throughout the year.

Tatsuya Imai wasn’t off to the best of starts to his career in the majors and is currently sidelined; the same goes for Hunter Brown, Houston’s ultratalented young ace—and that’s not to mention the impact of losing Framber Valdez in free agency. The left-hander Steven Okert will be the opener for the Astros, and while his numbers aren’t particularly flattering, with a 4.20 ERA, the real concern for Houston and appeal for the Dodgers is in what follows.

Also, without their expensive star closer, in their case, Josh Hader, the Astros have the worst bullpen in the big leagues presently—Houston enters play on Monday as the only team with relievers combining for an ERA in the sixes. Coming in at 6.20, the Astros are significantly higher than the number two on that list, the Angels, at 5.62. While their relievers have looked better as of late, particularly in the series against the Red Sox over the weekend, there’s still a lot of potential damage to be done here—the ideal environment for a slumping Dodger attack.

Monday’s game info​

• Teams: Dodgers at Astros
• Ballpark: Daikin Park, Houston
• Start time: 5:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

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