After evening their National League Division Series at 1-1, the Washington Nationals will hand the ball to left-hander Gio Gonzalez for Monday's Game 3 in Los Angeles, and despite posting an 8.31 ERA in his last three starts, Gonzalez is eager to turn the page against the Dodgers.
"It's not something I want to sit back and reflect on," Gonzalez told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, when asked about his late-season struggles.
"I want to talk about now, which is October. It's playoff time, so this is the time you need to turn it on and get ready to go. If they need me to pitch against the Dodgers, then I'm going to pitch against the Dodgers."
Gonzalez did fare well in his only appearance against Los Angeles this season, allowing just one run and striking out six through six innings on July 20. While the Dodgers' struggles against left-handers have haunted them all season - they posted a league-worst .213 batting average against southpaws - manager Dave Roberts is confident his group can overcome the challenge.
"How we fared against left-handed pitching, I don't really think that guys are too concerned about the history," Roberts told reporters Sunday. "I think that we are looking forward to this one game, Game 3, and we've got some history with Gio. So he's going to have to make pitches to beat us."
The Dodgers will counter with 28-year-old rookie right-hander Kenta Maeda, making his postseason debut. Maeda went 16-11 with a 3.43 ERA in 32 starts this season.
