Among the goals the Los Angeles Dodgers had over the winter was acquiring a right-handed hitter who would provide a boost to an offense that greatly struggled against left-handed pitching last season. They ranked last in the Majors with a .213 batting average, .622 on-base plus slugging percentage, .275 wOBA and 72 wRC+.
The Dodgers seemingly found answers in Franklin Gutierrez and Logan Forsythe, but the team’s first look at a left-handed starter in 2017 yielded much of the same results from last year. Clayton Richard spun eight shutout innings on Tuesday night, inducing the Dodgers into four double plays.