Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda slated to start against San Francisco next week

Reporting from New York — The Dodgers have arranged their starting rotation so their three most reliable pitchers will face San Francisco during a three-game series at Dodger Stadium next week.

The current alignment would use Clayton Kershaw on Monday, Rich Hill on Tuesday and Kenta Maeda on Wednesday. The rotation resembles the one the team would likely use in October.

To reach the playoffs, the Dodgers will need to hold off San Francisco. This task may not prove difficult. The Giants have collapsed in the second half, mutating from a budding juggernaut into a raging fire of tires.

To set the rotation, the Dodgers will start Hill on Thursday in Arizona, Maeda on Friday, Bud Norris on Saturday and Jose De Leon on Sunday. Ross Stripling pitched three innings in relief Tuesday, and Julio Urias will start a stint in the bullpen in the coming days.

The Giants lead the season series with seven victories in 13 games. After meeting next week, the Dodgers travel to San Francisco on Sept. 30 for the final series of the year.

Turner banged up, still playing

On his go-ahead RBI double in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 2-0 victory, Justin Turner crashed into the back of the knee of Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro. Turner stayed down for a few moments as he gathered himself back into working order.

“Just went in headfirst, and the top of my helmet went right into his knee,” Turner said. “I jammed up my neck a little bit. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

Dayton moving up in hierarchy

Grant Dayton, a left-handed rookie, appears to have surpassed Adam Liberatore as Manager Dave Roberts’ left-handed reliever of choice. Dayton struck out the side in the sixth inning, which lowered his earned-run average to 1.64. Liberatore is still dealing with elbow issues, which sent him to the disabled list in July.

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