After a ‘positive’ road trip against the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers return home on Friday to start a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This marks the sixth straight series against a National League Central opponent for the Dodgers, dating back to being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle of the month. The Dodgers will have played every team in NL Central during this stretch, including two series against the Brewers.
The Dodgers can also keep another unique streak alive and make some MLB history. Dating back to August 2018, the Dodgers have hit a home run in 32 straight home games, tying them with the 1999 Colorado Rockies for the all-time record. A home run at Dodger Stadium would break that tie and give the Dodgers sole possession of the record.
Cody Bellinger can also hit a league milestone with two singles or an extra-base hit in Friday’s game. Bellinger’s 84 total bases currently sit two behind former teammate Chase Utley for most in MLB history before the month of May. Utley set his record in 2008 while with the Philadephia Phillies.
Hyun-Jin Ryu makes his second start since a groin injury caused a brief injured list stint for him. He went 5.2 innings in Milwaukee in his return, allowing two runs — both on solo home runs to Brewers star Christian Yelich.
Overall, Ryu owns a solid 3.10 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 20 innings for the Dodgers this season. Friday marks his first home start in nearly a month, after Ryu began 2019 with back-to-back quality starts at Dodger Stadium.
Chris Archer takes the mound for the Pirates, marking his first start in L.A. since 2016. Before Pittsburgh acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2018 midseason trade deadline, Archer had been linked to the Dodgers in trade rumors due to his history with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman when both were with the Rays.
Archer has posted a 2.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over four starts in what figures to be his first full season with the Pirates.
In his lone appearance against the Dodgers, that aforementioned 2016 outing at Dodger Stadium when he was still with the Rays, Archer threw seven innings and allowed three runs, though just one earned run. Joc Pederson, Justin Turner and Corey Seager all went 1-for-3 against Archer in that game.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Joc Pederson
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Cody Bellinger
CF: A.J. Pollock
1B: Max Muncy
2B: Kiké Hernandez
C: Austin Barnes
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Pirates lineup:
2B: Adam Frazier
LF: Melky Cabrera
RF: Gregory Polanco
1B: Josh Bell
3B: Jung Ho Kang
C: Francisco Cervelli
CF: Bryan Reynolds
SS: Cole Tucker
P: Chris Archer
