The Los Angeles Dodgers began the Interleague portion of their schedule with a win over the Cleveland Indians that forced a tie with the Colorado Rockies atop the National League West standings. On Wednesday, the Dodgers can match a season-best six-game winning streak.
Brandon McCarthy duels with 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber. McCarthy has been a bright spot for the Dodgers this season, going 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA, 3.08 FIP and 1.11 WHIP across 10 starts. He has struck out 51 and walked 15 in 57.2 innings of work.
Despite being better at home this season, McCarthy has still had some success on the road, going 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA in four starts. In 19 career appearances (11 starts) against the Indians, the 33-year-old is 6-5 with a 3.98 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.
Kluber is 5-2 with a 4.38 ERA, 3.54 FIP and 1.28 WHIP in eight starts this year. Over 49.1 innings pitched, he has 59 strikeouts against 16 walks.
Kluber has been great in two starts since coming off the disabled list, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA against the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. Kluber will have the tough task of facing a potent Dodgers lineup.
No hitter in baseball is hotter than rookie Cody Bellinger, who is once again in the cleanup spot. In his last three games, Bellinger has five home runs, including back-to-back multi-homer games.
Bellinger also has eight RBIs over the three games. Bellinger’s four multi-homer games in the first 45 games of his career is the most in the history of baseball. He leads the Dodgers with 17 home runs and 39 RBIs on the season.
Justin Turner, who hits in front of Bellinger, has also been hot since coming off the DL. He’s 6-for-14 with a home run and two RBIs in four games.
Three Indians hitters, Carlos Santana, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Ramirez (batting fourth through sixth in the order) have all homered off McCarthy in their careers.
Encarnacion has taken him deep twice in 10 at-bats, going 3-for-10 overall, while Ramirez has reached base every time he’s faced McCarthy, going 3-for-3. Jason Kipnis was scratched due to neck spasms.
Dodgers lineup:
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Corey Seager
DH: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
C: Yasmani Grandal
LF: Chris Taylor
3B: Logan Forsythe
CF: Joc Pederson
RF: Yasiel Puig
Indians lineup:
CF: Bradley Zimmer
SS: Francisco Lindor
LF: Michael Brantley
1B: Carlos Santana
DH: Edwin Encarnacion
3B: Jose Ramirez
RF: Lonnie Chisenhall
C: Yan Gomes
2B: Erik Gonzalez
