At worst, the Los Angeles Dodgers have ensured they’ll end up with a four-game series split with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers can clinch another series win and improve to 6-0 against the Pirates this season.
Rich Hill takes the mound Wednesday night, starting opposite right-hander Trevor Williams. Hill has been on a roll lately, as he is a perfect 5-0 in his last eight starts. Over that span Hill has yielded a 2.49 ERA while striking out 62 and walking just 12 in 47 innings of work.
Overall on the season, Hill is 9-4 with a 3.54 ERA, 4.05 FIP and 1.23 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, which would set a career-best mark over a full season.
Hill has faced Pittsburgh eight times in his career, going 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
Williams, who is in his first full season in the Majors, enters 5-6 with a 4.71 ERA, 4.12 FIP and 1.32 WHIP in 25 games (19 starts). He has struck out 86 and walked 37 in 114.2 innings.
The 25-year-old faced the Dodgers on May 8 and was roughed up for seven hits and eight runs (six earned) in three innings. Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor both took Williams deep in that game, with Taylor’s being of the grand slam variety.
With Justin Turner receiving a night off, newly-acquired Curtis Granderson bats third in the lineup. Granderson is 3-for-16 with two home runs and five RBIs in four games with the Dodgers. The veteran has homered seven times in his last eight overall games.
Yasiel Puig bats fifth in Dave Roberts’ order for the second time in the last four games. Before that, Puig had not batted in the top five in the order since April 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Puig is 4-for-9 with a home run and three runs scored thus far in the series.
The Pirates have a familiar face in Andrew McCuthchen batting third and playing center field. McCutchen has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball since May 24, as up until that point in the season he was batting just .200. Since then he is slashing .341/.440/.593 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs.
Prior to the game, the Dodgers recalled Kyle Farmer from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned Brock Stewart.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
LF: Curtis Granderson
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
RF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Chase Utley
3B: Logan Forsythe
C: Austin Barnes
P: Rich Hill
Pirates lineup:
LF: Starling Marte
2B: Josh Harrison
CF: Andrew McCutchen
1B: Josh Bell
3B: David Freese
RF: Sean Rodriguez
SS: Jordy Mercer
C: Chris Stewart
P: Trevor Williams
