The Los Angeles Dodgers look to rebound from a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals that snapped a seven-game winning streak, and Tony Gonsolin takes the mound for the final time before the All-Star break.
Gonsolin enters with an 11-0 record and remains the only qualified starting pitcher in Major League Baseball without a loss. In his most recent outing against the Chicago Cubs, Gonsolin went seven innings and only allowed two runs on four hits, which raised his ERA from 1.54 to 1.62, though that still leads all of baseball.
Clayton Kershaw was recently named to the All-Star Game for the ninth time, and Gonsolin will be joining him for the first selection in his career. Gonsolin’s 3.35 FIP over 88.2 innings while striking out 24% of hitters, walking 6.9%, and compiling a 1.7 WAR, earned him a spot with the best players in baseball.
Since June 2, Gonsolin has posted a 1.44 ERA and an ERA- of 36, while allowing opposing batters to reach base at a minuscule .147 clip. His selection to the All-Star Game is something Gonsolin said is a “full circle” moment after his 2021 season was hampered by a shoulder injury.
Gonsolin squares off against Adam Wainwright, who at the age of 40, continues to defy time as he remains a consistently productive arm for the Cardinals.
Wainwright is 6-7 on the season with a 3.15 ERA, a 3.70 FIP, and an ERA- of 80 over 105.2 innings pitched. In his most recent start against the Philadelphia Phillies, he threw a complete game in a 2-0 loss.
Wainwright’s strikeout numbers aren’t where they have been in recent years, and that is evident by his second percentile whiff rate and strikeout percentage ranked in the 28th percentile.
The Dodgers’ offense will need to replicate their output from Tuesday’s game, as Wainwright receives the 17th highest run support in all of MLB with 4.88 runs per game. Freddie Freeman collected his second straight four-hit performance, but as a team, the Dodgers were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Trea Turner
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
DH: Justin Turner
CF: Cody Bellinger
3B: Max Muncy
LF: Jake Lamb
2B: Gavin Lux
Cardinals lineup
SS: Tommy Edman
CF: Dylan Carlson
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
3B: Nolan Arenado
2B: Nolan Gorman
DH: Albert Pujols
LF: Corey Dickerson
RF: Lars Nootbaar
C: Andrew Knizner
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