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Pittsburgh Pirates Prepare to Head West to Play Surging Dodgers
The struggling Pittsburgh Pirates face a tall task beginning Monday night when they kick off a three-game series at Dodger Stadium against one of the best teams in baseball
We have all heard it before, that when it rains, it pours. Right now the Pittsburgh Pirates are stuck in a monsoon and have been for much of the 2021 season. Well, that monsoon may soon upgrade to a tropical storm.
Monday night the Pirates kick off a three-game series at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the Pirate record of 42-76 is the second worst in the National League, and is tied with the Texas Rangers for fourth worst in all of baseball, the Dodgers own a 72-46 record which is second best in both the NL and all of MLB.
The Dodgers are the defending World Series Champions and remain one of the best teams in baseball. Their talent grew at the trade deadline when they made the biggest splash trade by adding potential National League MVP Trea Turner and 3 time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
While Scherzer pitched in Sunday night’s victory over the New York Mets so he will not pitch in this series, the Pittsburgh Pirates will still face a tall task against Dodger pitching. The Dodgers enter the series on the heels of sweeping the New York Mets over the weekend. Overall, they have won 10 of their last 13 games played.
Dodging the big arms
The Dodger starting rotation has seemingly had a big three for the last decade. Who the big three have been has changed, but there has seemingly always been a big three. The one consistent in the big three has always been Clayton Kershaw. However, Kershaw is currently on the injured list and will begin a throwing program on Monday. Due to this, the Pittsburgh Pirates will not see Kershaw in this series.
With Kershaw on the shelf the big three have become Scherzer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urías. As was mentioned above Scherzer started on Sunday nigh for the Dodgers. Buehler pitched Saturday afternoon and Urías pitched Friday night. Due to this, the Pirates will not face Buehler in this series.
Currently, the Dodgers do not have a starting pitcher listed for Monday or Wednesday night. While at first Urías could have been a candidate to get the ball on Wednesday night he was placed on the IL on Sunday. Due to this the Pittsburgh Pirates will manage to avoid each of the Dodgers top arms in this series.
The lone announced Dodger starter for the series is lefty David Price. The former American League Cy Young Award winner has been used as both a starter and a reliever this season, having made 9 starts and 21 relief appearances.
While Price is not the dominant strikeout machine he was in his prime facing him is still no easy task. This season the veteran owns a 3.60 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 6.3% walk rate and a 19.6% strikeout rate in 55 innings pitched. Pirate batters will have their hands full on Tuesday night.
Trying to limit the damage
When a team has a lineup as deep and talent as the Dodgers have no pitching staff can contain them for an entire series. The best you can do is to try and limit the damage which is what the Pittsburgh Pirates will have to attempt to do in the series.
The Dodgers rank second in MLB in runs scored (619) and on-base percentage (.339), fifth in home runs (165) and their 22.9% strikeout rate is just 19th in baseball. Having a lineup that possesses the power the Dodgers do, while also getting on base at the second best clip in baseball and not striking out a ton is difficult to assemble, but the Dodgers have done just that.
Eight Dodger batters (Turner, Max Muncy, Will Smith, Chris Taylor, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, A.J. Pollock, Corey Seager) have a wRC+ of at least 119. For reference, a league average hitter is a hitter with a wRC+ of 100. So, that means that eight Dodger batters have been at least 19 percent better than the league this year at the plate. Although, it should be noted that Betts is currently on the IL.
Additionally, utility man Matt Beaty has a wRC+ of 109. Since joining the team after being released by the Los Angeles Angels veteran slugger, and long-time Pirate killer, Albert Pujols has an identical 109 wRC+ as a member of the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have one of the greatest group of hitters ever assembled on one team. This makes them a handful for any pitching staff, but especially for a young, and largely struggling pitching staff such as that of the Pirates.
Do the Pittsburgh Pirates have ANY chance?
Facing the Dodgers is a tall, tall task for any team, let alone a team struggling the way the Pirates are. The Pirates are just 8-26 since the All-Star Break with two of those wins coming in the first two games after the break.
When the two teams played at PNC Park in early June the Pirates were swept by the Dodgers. However, they did play the Dodgers tough is the series losing by scores of 5-3, 2-1 and 6-3, so it was not utter and complete domination by the boys in blue.
If the Pirates are going to have any chance at pulling an upset and winning the series it’ll begin with their starting pitching. The Pirates do not have anywhere near the fire power needed to score with the Dodgers so they must contain the Dodger offense as best they can.
Steven Brault will take the ball on Monday night. In his first two starts this season Brault has allowed 3 runs on 8 hits, including a pair of solo home runs, while walking just 1 and striking out 8 in 9 innings of work. If Brault can continue to pitch well he should give the Pirates an opportunity on Monday night.
Tuesday night the Pirates will turn to Wil Crowe. Crowe’s overall numbers this season are not pretty with a 5.27 ERA, 5.87 FIP and a home run rate of 2.02 HR/9. Since July 1, however, Crowe has pitched better posting a 3.63 ERA and a 23.3% strikeout rate. But he has continued to struggling with control (12.0% walk rate) and the long ball (1.82 HR/9). He’s also struggled to go deep into games averaging just 4.8 innings per start in these 7 starts.
Next. Two Relief Pitching Prospects to Watch. dark
In the series finale on Wednesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates will send JT Brubaker to the mound. Over the weekend we covered Brubaker’s struggles on the site and discussed why shutting Brubaker down for the season could benefit him. Facing the Dodgers appears to be a bad, bad matchup for Brubaker.
All three games of this series are scheduled for 10:10 PM ET. Stay tuned here at Rum Bunter throughout the week for coverage of the series.