The Los Angeles Dodgers got to Andrew Miller a second time in as many games, and enter Thursday afternoon’s affair in position to complete a sweep of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Los Angeles enters with a season high-tying six-game winning streak.
Rich Hill faces the Cleveland Indians for the first time since leaving the team via free agency after the 2013 season. Hill enters 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA, 5.02 FIP and 1.45 WHIP. The southpaw has yet to reach the sixth inning in any of his seven starts this season.
Hill is coming off a start in which he only allowed one run on two hits in five innings. Though, the start was hardly smooth sailing, as Hill often struggled to put hitters away and fought a high pitch count.
He nonetheless came away from the outing with a sense of optimism. In his lone season with Cleveland, Hill went 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA in 33 games.
Edwin Encarnacion is the only Indians player who has logged more than three at-bats against Hill. Encarnacion is 3-for-17 with two home runs and six strikeouts.
Cleveland counters with Josh Tomlin, who is 3-8 with a 5.73 ERA, 3.83 FIP and 1.35 WHIP in 12 starts. If there’s a bright spot for the right-hander it’s that he hasn’t issued a walk in the past 29.2 innings pitched.
Tomlin, who is in his eighth season with the Indians, is 28-25 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 68 career games (62 starts) at home. Included in that is a 2-5 record and 6.49 ERA at Progressive Field this season.
The Dodgers and Indians entered their series with two of the best bullpens in baseball. Los Angeles relievers have combined to allow five runs in 5.2 innings of work thus far, while the Cleveland bullpen has allowed nine runs in 5.1 innings. Five runs have been charged to Miller.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
DH: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
2B: Kiké Hernandez
C: Austin Barnes
3B: Logan Forsythe
CF: Joc Pederson
RF: Yasiel Puig
Indians lineup:
SS: Francisco Lindoro
LF: Daniel Robertson
3B: Jose Ramirez
DH: Edwin Encarnacion
1B: Carlos Santana
RF: Austin Jackson
C: Roberto Perez
CF: Bradley Zimmer
2B: Erik Gonzalez
