Rich Hill and the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a deflating loss Wednesday night but have an opportunity to quickly turn the page and rebound against the Pittsburgh Pirates in an early afternoon matchup.
A win would give the Dodgers a 5-2 record on their road trip and clinch another series victory. At worst, they’ll settle for a four-game split with the Pirates. The Dodgers have not dropped a series since June 5-7.
Corey Seager gets the day off, while Curtis Granderson, batting second, is slotted in a fifth different spot in the Dodgers lineup in six games. He’s 3-for-20 with two home runs, five RBI, four runs scored, four walks and five strikeouts since being traded.
Should Seager appear as a pinch-hitter or enter off the bench, he’ll do so with a 12-game hitting streak in tow. He’s batting .352/.368/.370 with one double and nine RBI during the span.
Hyun-Jin Ryu takes the mound 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA in his last eight starts, which dates back to June 17. What’s more, he’s turned in scoreless outings in three of the last four starts.
In 19 games (18 starts) this season, Ryu is 4-6 with one save, a 3.45 ERA, 4.31 FIP and 1.31 WHIP. He’s 3-0 in three career starts against the Pirates, yielding a 2.79 ERA in those games.
Ryu will look to cool off Josh Harrison, who in addition to hitting the walk-off home run to end Rich Hill’s bid for history, is 5-for-13 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI through the first three games of the series at PNC Park.
The Pirates hand the ball to Chad Kuhl, who enters 6-8 with a 4.52 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He holds a 3.31 ERA in four August starts, but has held opponents to a .198/.283/.296 batting line during the month.
Kuhl allowed four runs on six hits in five innings when he faced the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, taking the loss in the May start. Justin Turner is 2-for-4 with one double, a home run and three RBI off the right-hander.
The Dodgers can become the first team in the Majors to 90 wins this season, and should they do so, it would mark the earliest date the franchise has reached that plateau.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
LF: Curtis Granderson
3B: Justin Turner
C: Yasmani Grandal
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
RF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Logan Forsythe
SS: Kiké Hernandez
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Pirates lineup:
2B: Josh Harrison
RF: Adam Frazier
CF: Andrew McCutchen
1B: Josh Bell
3B: David Freese
LF: Sean Rodriguez
C: Elias Diaz
SS: Jordy Mercer
P: Chad Kuhl
