The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team since the 1912 New York Giants to go 43-7 over a 50-game stretch, and now can complete a three-game sweep of the New York Mets. The series sweep would be the Dodgers’ MLB-leading 15th this season.
Since their blistering stretch began on June 7, the Dodgers lead the Majors in home runs (96), team ERA (2.97), opponents’ batting average (.220), and are first in the National League in runs per game (5.50) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.864).
Los Angeles is 23-3 since July 4, with all three of their losses coming against the Atlanta Braves. According to STATS, LLC, the last team to lose to just one opponent over an entire
month was the Giants in 1912.
For a second time in as many starts, Hyun-Jin Ryu takes the mound in a game that’s exclusively being broadcast on ESPN as part of their Sunday Night Baseball schedule. Ryu went seven shutout innings his last time out.
In his last five starts, the 30-year-old is 1-0 with a 2.60 ERA, 30 strikeouts and only nine walks. Overall this season, he’s 3-6 with one save, a 3.83 ERA, 4.59 FIP and 1.37 WHIP in 16 games (15 starts).
Ryu is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in four career starts against the Mets. One of those came in June, when he allowed two runs on five hits in five innings and didn’t factor into the decision. Ryu is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA over two starts at Citi Field, though last pitched there in 2014.
Asdrubal Cabrera is a career 2-for-4 with two doubles off Ryu. Travis d’Arnaud and Curtis Granderson have each homered, and two of Jay Bruce’s three hits against Ryu are home runs, but he is not in the Mets lineup.
The series finale at Citi Field is a rematch from the June 22 contest as Steven Matz again starts opposite Ryu. He allowed three runs on three hits, walked five and struck out eight over six innings at Dodger Stadium.
Matz enters 2-4 with a 5.50 ERA, 5.05 FIP and 1.51 WHIP in 10 starts this season. Of the Dodgers in the lineup, only Cody Bellinger (double), Kiké Hernandez (home run) and Justin Turner (home run) have at least one hit off Matz.
As expected, Yasmani Grandal is not starting due to coming out of Saturday’s game because of back spasms. Regardless of the injury, he was likely to receive a night of rest since the Mets are starting a lefty.
A win Sunday night will give the Dodgers their first season sweep of the Mets. They’ve slugged 23 home runs en route to winning each of the first six head-to-head meetings thus far in 2017.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
2B: Logan Forsythe
C: Austin Barnes
CF: Kiké Hernandez
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Mets lineup:
CF: Michael Conforto
3B: Asdrubal Cabrera
LF: Yoenis Cespedes
1B: Wilmer Flores
RF: Curtis Granderson
2B: Jose Reyes
C: Travis D’Arnaud
SS: Amed Rosario
P: Steven Matz
