For a second time in the past three series the Los Angeles Dodgers look to avoid a three-game sweep, this time needing a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. They managed to salvage their series with the San Francisco Giants last week.
While the Giants weren’t a pushover, the Cardinals represent another challenge all together. They enter play with an MLB-best 16-4 record during the month of August.
For the Dodgers, they need a win to avoid potentially slipping further in the National League West standings. They’re currently 3.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place, which represents the furthest they’ve been out of first place since June 30.
Los Angeles hands the ball to Walker Buehler, who faces St. Louis for the first time in his career. Buehler is coming off six innings of one-run ball against the Seattle Mariners.
Overall this season, he’s 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA, 3.38 FIP and 1.04 WHIP in 16 games (15 starts). Buehler is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP while holding opponents to a .172 batting average and collecting 22 strikeouts over three starts in August.
The Cardinals counter with Jack Flaherty, who grew up attending games at Dodger Stadium. The young righty is 7-6 with a 3.05 ERA, 3.81 FIP and 1.08 WHIP in 20 starts this season.
Flaherty is 4-2 with a 2.62 ERA in his past six starts, notching at least seven strikeouts in each outing. St. Louis will look to back him with a lineup that’s produced a home run in 14 consecutive games.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Joc Pederson
3B: Justin Turner
SS: Manny Machado
CF: Cody Bellinger
2B: Brian Dozier
1B: Max Muncy
C: Yasmani Grandal
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Walker Buehler
Cardinals lineup:
1B: Matt Carpenter
C: Yadier Molina
RF: Jose Martínez
3B: Jedd Gyorko
SS: Paul DeJong
2B: Kolten Wong
CF: Harrison Bader
LF: Yairo Muñoz
P: Jack Flaherty
