What you need to know: The Dodgers will try to keep pace with San Diego in the National League West when they play host to a hot Cleveland Guardians team for three interleague games starting Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers trail the first-place Padres by a half-game after San Diego beat the Cubs in Chicago on Thursday, 6-4.
At the same time, the Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies in Denver for their fourth-consecutive win and improved to 13-3 over their last 16 games. Cleveland trails Minnesota in the American League Central by two games.
The Dodgers will send left-hander Clayton Kershaw to the mound against Guardians right-hander Zach Plesac. Kershaw is 4-1 with a 2.12 earned-run average. He is averaging more than a strikeout an inning — 36 in 34 innings. Plesac is 2-4 with an ERA of 4.70.
Guardians third baseman José Ramírez leads the American League in runs batted-in and is among the league’s best in batting average and home runs.
How to watch the Dodgers vs. Guardians series
Where: Dodger Stadium
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC); 1020 (KTNQ) Spanish
Betting odds
Dodgers are favored in Friday’s game: -268 to a +273.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.