The Los Angeles Dodgers (13-12) are on the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-8) at PNC Park on Thursday with the three-game series in the balance. The Pirates evened the series 1-1 after winning 8-1 on Wednesday.
Roansy Contreras threw six scoreless innings to get the win. Jason Delay went 3 for 3 with a double and three RBIs in the win. Ji Hwan Bae went 3 for 4 with two runs and one RBI. Freddie Freeman was 2 for 4 with a solo home run for the Dodgers.
ON THE MOUND
Julio Urias (3-2, 3.33 ERA) is in line to start for Los Angeles. The southpaw is tied for fourth in the NL in wins. Urias allowed five runs over 3.1 innings in his last start, a 13-0 home defeat against the Cubs on Friday.
He took the loss, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking two. Urias is making his first appearance against the Pirates this season. Over two starts against the Pirates in 2022, Urias was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA over 12 innings. He had 12 strikeouts and one walk.
For Pittsburgh, right-hander Mitch Keller (2-0, 3.64 ERA) will take the mound. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Dodgers. Keller made one start against the Dodgers in 2022, throwing five innings in a 5-3 road win on May 31.
He gave up two hits and walked five, while striking out five in the win. In his last start on Friday, Keller got the win at home against the Reds. He threw six innings and gave up two runs on four hits, striking out five and walking one in the 4-2 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Los Angeles has averaged 5.0 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 5.2. Against righties like Keller this season, the Dodgers have ann .810 OPS, third highest in the league.
Max Muncy is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a 1.201 OPS in 49 at-bats. Pittsburgh is averaging only 4.6 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 5.0 for the season.
The Bucs have ann .814 OPS against lefties in 2023, fifth highest in MLB. With a 1.152 OPS over 19 at-bats, Connor Joe has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Los Angeles is 7-6 in away games in 2023, scoring 5.5 runs per game while allowing 6.1 runs. Pittsburgh has gone 8-4 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 4.5. Los Angeles is 7-3 in the last 10 games at PNC Park between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.5-4.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Dodgers are second in the NL West, zero games behind the division-leading Diamondbacks. The Pirates lead the NL Central by one games over the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
LA Dodgers (-155)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
