Propelled by David Freese’s grand slam in the first inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers cruised to a 10-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Friday’s opening bout at PNC Park.
The win improved Los Angeles to a National League-best 33-18 record while Pittsburgh fell to just 25-23. Having previously swept the Pirates in a three-game series at Dodger Stadium this season, the Dodgers are in position to clinch another series win with a victory on Saturday.
L.A. sends Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound for his 10th start of the season. The left-hander has emerged as an early favorite for NL Cy Young Award honors, who enters with a 6-1 record, 1.52 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 0.74 WHIP and 59-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 59.1 innings pitched.
Ryu has not allowed a run in 31 consecutive innings over his last three starts — a streak that dates back to May 7. He owns a perfect 3-0 record, 0.28 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 26-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 32 innings this month.
In his lone start against the Pirates this season, Ryu allowed eight hits and two runs in seven innings of work, accumulating 10 strikeouts in what amounted to a 6-2 Dodgers victory.
In four road starts, Ryu is 1-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 22.1 innings pitched. That’s in comparison to an even better 5-0 record, 1.22 ERA and 0.65 WHIP across 37 innings at Dodger Stadium (five starts).
The Pirates counter with right-hander Joe Musgrove, who is on a personal two-game winning streak. Over his last two starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, Musgrove yielded only eight baserunners and three earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched — good for a 2.03 ERA and 0.60 WHIP.
Musgrove previously faced the Dodgers on April 27 and was tabbed with his second loss of the season, allowing six hits and three runs (one earned) in 6.2 innings of work.
The 26-year-old has fared much better on the road this season, pitching to a 3.29 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 38.1 innings (seven games, six starts). At PNC Park, he owns a 4.60 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 15.2 frames (three starts).
Musgrove is 3-4 this season, having posted career-bests in ERA (3.67), FIP (3.05) and WHIP (1.07) over 54 innings pitched. He additionally has allowed only two home runs this season — good for a league-best 0.3 home runs per nine among qualified starting pitchers.
Justin Turner, who was removed from Friday’s contest in the seventh inning, is out of the starting lineup. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that he is viewing the Pirates series as an opportunity to give the 34-year-old some much needed rest.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Joc Pederson
3B: Max Muncy
SS: Corey Seager
RF: Cody Bellinger
1B: Matt Beaty
C: Russell Martin
CF: Alex Verdugo
2B: Chris Taylor
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
