The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to add to their National League-leading 33 wins Saturday night when they continue their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After Friday’s 10-2 win in Pittsburgh, the Dodgers are -175 favorites to win on Saturday.
Rather quietly, the Pirates are staying in the mix in the NL Central. The Cubs and Brewers are taking center stage, but Pittsburgh remains 3.5 games behind the first-place Cubs and just two games behind Milwaukee. Despite losing three of their four games this week, the Pirates are two games over .500 and keeping themselves in contention.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are once again asserting their dominance in the NL West. Los Angeles has won seven of their last nine games, helping to stay six games ahead of the Padres despite San Diego winning four in a row. With Friday’s win, the Dodgers moved 15 games above .500 and once again appear to be the team to beat in the National League.
No One Better
Hyun-jin Ryu will start for Los Angeles on Saturday. For the second straight season, there’s virtually no pitcher in baseball who’s better than Ryu when he’s healthy. The injury-plagued lefty posted a 1.97 ERA over 15 starts last season. This year, he’s been healthy and been even better. In nine starts, Ryu is 6-1 with a 1.52 ERA. The lefty has also gone 31 consecutive innings since the last time he allowed a run.
Against the Pirates, Ryu will face a lineup that has some big bats but also has some weak spots. Josh Bell is having an incredible season with 16 home runs and 16 doubles, helping to give him an OPS of 1.118. Melky Cabrera and Gregory Polanco are also providing plenty of support, but things start to fall off beyond that trio. To be fair, the Pirates have had a good week offensively, as Colin Moran and Elias Diaz have started to contribute more. But Pittsburgh’s lineup isn’t one to strike fear in a pitcher like Ryu.
Slipping
Joe Musgrove will start for the Pirates on Saturday. While his 3.67 ERA is impressive, Musgrove has had his fair share of problems, especially in the early part of May when he allowed 15 runs on just 12 hits over 5.2 innings across two starts. On the bright side, he’s bounced back and won his last two starts. However, his inconsistency could be a concern against a deep and powerful Los Angeles lineup.
The Dodgers have a lineup of hitters who are tough outs, particularly from the left side with the likes of Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Max Muncy, and Alex Verdugo. Bellinger could be in the middle of an MVP season, hitting .389 with 18 home runs and an OPS of 1.237. Muncy and Pederson are also swinging hot bats at the moment, although the rest of the Los Angeles lineup has been in a little slump over the past week.
Just Enough
This isn’t the slam dunk the -175 money line suggests. Musgrove is good enough to hold his own against the Dodgers. However, he’ll have to do more than hold his own when opposing Ryu. This game will be close but bet on the Dodgers to win in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
