After a third walk-off loss in the last four games, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to remain in position of possibly going .500 on their road trip by bouncing back against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Starting pitching has been weak point for the Dodgers over recent weeks, with Bobby Miller one of the few exceptions. Miller impressed in his MLB debut against the Atlanta Braves and pitched well in two ensuing starts.
Miller is 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 0.76 WHIP, and has gone six innings in each of his past two outings.
Against the New York Yankees, he became the first Dodgers pitcher since at least 1901 to complete a minimum of six scoreless innings with just one hit allowed within the first three starts of his career. Miller also joined Kenta Maeda (2016) as the only Dodgers pitchers to go at least five innings and allow one run or fewer through his first three career starts.
Some of Miller’s success has stemmed from a refined slider that features a tighter grip and gets thrown at a higher velocity.
The Dodgers bullpen on Saturday includes Andre Jackson in place of Shelby Miller, who was put on the bereavement list. Though, it’s likely Jackson won’t pitch and instead factor into the series finale, which is expected to be a bullpen game for the Dodgers.
Miller is opposed by Aaron Nola, who has struggled to the tune of a 5-4 record, 4.30 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 13 starts this season. When Nola faced the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 3, he allowed four runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings.
The right-hander has allowed at least one home run in 11 starts this season, including in his last nine. That could bode well for the Dodgers, who are second in the Majors with 109 homers. They trail only the Tampa Bay Rays by one home run for the MLB lead.
The Dodgers additionally lead the National League in runs per game (5.55), runs scored (355), extra-base hits (239) and walks (270), and are second in slugging percentage (.461) and on-base plus slugging (.790).
Dodgers lineup
2B: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
DH: J.D. Martinez
LF: David Peralta
RF: Jason Heyward
SS: Chris Taylor
CF: James Outman
Phillies lineup
LF: Kyle Schwarber
RF: Nick Castellanos
DH: Bryce Harper
SS: Trea Turner
C: J.T. Realmuto
2B: Bryson Stott
CF: Brandon Marsh
1B: Kody Clemens
3B: Edmundo Sosa
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
