After splitting the first two games against the Minnesota Twins, the Los Angeles Dodgers send Dustin May to the mound to try and win their sixth series in a row.
The Dodgers lost an ugly game to the Twins on Tuesday where they went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, snapping their six-game winning streak as well as their 10-game home winning streak.
Their task does not get any easier facing off Sonny Gray, who is 4-0 with a 1.39 ERA with 1.08 WHIP this season. The former Vanderbilt Commodore is an 11-year veteran and two-time All-Star who is having perhaps his best season yet.
Not many Dodgers have enjoyed success against Gray, with Freddie Freeman hitting .333 against him in 12 at-bats, and J.D. Martinez a .400 batting average and one home run in 10 at-bats.
The Dodgers are relying on May, who is having a quietly good start to his season, to alleviate the heavy workload that’s been placed on the bullpen of late. May has pitched at least six innings in each of his last two starts.
The pressure on May is significant, as the Dodgers bullpen has logged 13 innings over their last two games. Clayton Kershaw made his scheduled start on Tuesday night, despite the tragic loss of his mother just a few days prior, but pitched only four innings.
May has a 4-1 record to go along with a 2.68 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
“Sonny is a guy I’ve always admired from afar. I think he’s a really good competitor and he seems to always pitch well against us, and at Dodger Stadium in particular,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said prior to the game. “To have Dustin out there is always a good thing, so it’s going to be fun. We both have a chance to win a series.”
Should May falter in providing length, the Dodgers have a fresh pitcher in Dylan Covey. His contract was selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City, with Justin Bruihl getting optioned after pitching in each of the last three games.
Covey last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2020 and spent the past two years with the Rakuten Monkeys in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. The Dodgers signed Covey to a Minor League contract back in January.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
DH: Jason Heyward
2B: Miguel Vargas
CF: James Outman
SS: Chris Taylor
LF: Trayce Thompson
Twins lineup
RF: Joey Gallo
1B: Alex Kirilloff
SS: Carlos Correa
DH: Byron Buxton
2B: Jorge Polanco
LF: Trevor Larnach
CF: Nick Gordon
3B: Willi Castro
C: Christian Vázquez
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