Dodgers will get served a steady dose of left-handed starters during six-game trip

Show a weakness in this game, and opponents will sniff it out like a bloodhound. The Dodgers failed to hit a left-hander again Tuesday night, when they were shut out for eight innings by the Padres’ Clayton Richard, so the Chicago Cubs will look to exploit that deficiency next week.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Thursday that he will take advantage of a rainout by flip-flopping Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester so that the right-handed Arrieta will face Milwaukee on Sunday and the left-handed Lester will face the Dodgers on Monday at Wrigley Field.

That means the Dodgers will face four left-handers on their six-game trip to Colorado and Chicago, the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland (Friday) and Tyler Anderson (Sunday) and the Cubs’ Lester and Brett Anderson (Thursday).

“This was so obvious we just couldn’t walk away from it,” Maddon told Chicago reporters. “Milwaukee is predominantly right-handed, the Dodgers are predominantly left-handed, so it just was right in front of us.”

The Dodgers went 22-24 against left-handed starters last season and had a major league-worst .622 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against left-handers.

The offseason additions of infielder Logan Forsythe and outfielder Franklin Gutierrez should help, but they didn’t have much impact Tuesday, when the Dodgers managed five singles and hit into four double plays against Richard.

The Dodgers’ reward? They get Lester, one of baseball’s best left-handers, on Monday.

“It’s not a surprise, I get it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s up to us to change the narrative, and we’re gonna have our opportunities.”

Tenth man

As Kenley Jansen warmed up in the eighth inning Wednesday night, almost every fan in the sections flanking the left-field bullpen trained their smartphones and attention toward the Dodgers closer, ignoring the action on the field and shouting words of encouragement to Jansen.

It’s a ritual that Jansen, who signed a five-year, $80-million deal to remain in Los Angeles, has come to love as much as his entrance song, California Love by 2Pac.

“That was amazing, man, a great feeling,” Jansen said Thursday. “It kind of amps you up. The excitement starts flowing, the adrenaline starts kicking in. The fans love it, and they’re a part of it, too. They help me go out there with more adrenaline to close the game out.”

Giving thanks

Reliever Sergio Romo, a Brawley native who grew up a huge Dodgers fan, was so grateful to pitch in his first game for his new team Wednesday that “he thanked me for the inning after he came out, which was very generous of him,” Roberts said. Has anyone ever thanked Roberts for an inning before?

“No, especially a guy with three World Series rings,” Roberts said. “So that came as a surprise, but I think it was pretty genuine.”

Short hops

Center fielder Joc Peterson, hitless in eight at-bats since his opening-day grand slam, was ejected for the second time in his career Thursday when he slammed his helmet and bat to the ground after taking a called third strike in the seventh inning. “Joc is emotional, he cares, and we love that about him,” Roberts said, “but that’s a game you just can’t get thrown out of.” … Prized 20-year-old left-hander Julio Urias is scheduled to start for triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday. He will be limited to three or four innings. … Roberts expects to limit Hyun-Jin Ryu to 80-90 pitches on Friday, when the left-hander, limited by shoulder injuries to one start since 2014, pitches at Colorado.

mike.digiovann@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeGiovanna