The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to grind out a 6-0 win over the New York Mets and now shift their focus to taking the series in the middle game at Citi Field.
The Dodgers head into Saturday riding a five-game winning streak and have been victorious in seven of their past 10 games. They hold a one-game lead in the National League West over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With the Dodgers lineup finding some timely hitting and starting pitching making the bullpen’s job a bit less stressful, they’ve compiled a +82 run differential. That mark ranks second in the NL, behind the Atlanta Braves (+156).
Tony Gonsolin makes his 14th start of the regular season, carrying a 3.86 ERA and 1.12 WHIP to go along with 54 strikeouts over 67.2 innings pitched. The right-hander is in desperate need of a solid outing, as he’s allowed four or more earned runs in each of his last four starts.
Over his last 21 innings, Gonsolin holds an 8.14 ERA, 5.47 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, while allowing opposing hitters to reach base at a .282 clip. Since seeing a drop in velocity, Gonsolin has also seen his effectiveness in the zone slip, making for some hittable pitches.
The Mets counter with Kodai Senga, who makes his first career start against the Dodgers. The 30-year-old is in his first season playing in Major League Baseball, and over 16 starts he’s been extremely solid, posting a 3.31 ERA, 3.85 FIP and 1.28 WHIP.
Senga is coming off a stellar performance against the Diamondbacks in which he tossed eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits while notching 12 strikeouts. His pitch repertoire is capped off with his forkball, which is coined the ‘ghost fork’ because of its wicked movement.
Senga has surrendered a .126 batting average allowed when throwing his forkball, a pitch he relies on 28.3% of the time as his strikeout pitch. Along with a four-seam fastball, Senga features a cutter, which grades out as one of the best in baseball.
Dodgers lineup
2B: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
DH: J.D. Martinez
LF: David Peralta
RF: Jason Heyward
CF: James Outman
SS: Miguel Rojas
Mets lineup
CF: Brandon Nimmo
SS: Francisco Lindor
LF: Jeff McNeil
1B: Pete Alonso
DH: Daniel Vogelbach
C: Francisco Alvarez
RF: DJ Stewart
3B: Brett Baty
2B: Luis Guillorme
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