Dodgers Look to Avoid Being Swept by the Pirates
The Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the third and final game of their three-game weekend series. Pittsburgh has won each of the first two games by one-run margins. A win by Pittsburgh would give the Pirates their first sweep of Los Angeles in 15 years.
The current line has the game as a tossup with both teams currently at -105, with the over/under run total sitting on 7.5.
Los Angeles is currently three games in front of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. Pittsburgh is in second place in the NL Central, but holds the third best record in baseball and is 3 ½ games in front of the Chicago Cubs for the first wildcard spot in the National League.
The Dodgers entering this series had won 6 of 7, but have now lost 5 of their past 7 games on the road.
The Pirates will send Charlie Morton to the mound on Sunday. Morton is 7-4 with an ERA of 4.19. He will look to build on his first win over his past six starts last Sunday over Cincinnati. He struck out seven, which is a season high, and did not walk a batter. Prior to that win, Morton was 0-3 with an ERA of 5.04 in his 5 previous outings. This is Morton’s first game versus the Dodgers since 2010.
Alex Wood will start on the mound for the Dodgers. Wood is 7-7 with an ERA of 3.65. This is the third time this season he has pitched against the Pirates. This season he is 1-1 with an ERA of 2.19 versus Pittsburgh. In his last start against the Pirates, he struck out 8 and won 2-1 on June 28. The southpaw lost his last outing 6-2 this past Tuesday at Philadelphia.
Wood was acquired from the Atlanta Braves July 30 and had an ERA of 2.61 in 19 previous road starts before his loss to the Phillies.
Andrew McCutchen an All-Star outfielder for the Pirates has hit .448 with 9 RBIs and 10 runs scored over his past 9 games played. However, against Wood he is 1 for 6 this season.
Jimmy Rollins has hit for a .333 average over his past 14 games and lifetime versus Morton, has 7 hits in 11 about including 2 doubles.
The Dodgers have done well to remain in front of San Francisco having lost the first two games of this series. The Giants however have lost three straight to the surging Chicago Cubs. Los Angeles returns home after this series to face the Washington Nationals in a three-game series followed by a four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds.
