Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off back-to-back series wins against the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies, are set to hit the road again, heading East for a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Dodgers have had their fair share of problems against the Pirates, only collecting five wins in their last thirteen meetings. However, LA is in for a treat facing off the new dynamic duo atop the Pirates rotation in Jared Jones and Paul Skenes.
The Dodgers, who have struggled against plus fastballs so far in 2024 with a -6.5 run value on the pitch, will be tested as both Jones and Skenes are in the top five percent in fastball velocity.
Pitching match-ups
Game One: Tyler Glasnow (6-3, 3.04 ERA) vs Jared Jones (3-5, 3.55 ERA)
Game Two: James Paxton (LHP) (5-0, 3.29 ERA) vs Paul Skenes (2-0, 2.45 ERA)
Game Three: Walker Buehler (1-3, 4.32 ERA) vs Bailey Falter (LHP) (3-2, 3.22 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 3:40 PM PT, SNLA, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Game Two: 3:40 PM PT, SNLA, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Game Three: 3:40 PM PT, SNLA, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Who’s in & who’s out?
Significant injury updates have emerged from Dodgerland, with none of the players expected to be active in the upcoming series against the Pirates. Bobby Miller, who made his second rehab start in Rancho this past Saturday, is still a week away from potential activation, underscoring the team’s cautious approach to his recovery.
Clayton Kershaw is still more than six weeks away from being activated as he recovers from his offseason shoulder surgery, but he is progressing in the right direction.
The Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Evan Phillips off the 15-day IL on Friday before the three-game series against the Rockies, but other bullpen names, such as Kyle Hurt, Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly, Dustin May, and Ryan Brasier, are all MIA.
The most concerning news is about Max Muncy, who is expected to be out for an undetermined period. He has been shut down from all baseball activities due to an oblique injury, which was further complicated by a rib tweak that occurred during a swing in Arizona. This double injury blow could significantly impact the Dodgers’ lineup.
The Pirates have also been fighting the injury bug this season, making multiple moves prior to this series.
On June 2nd, the Pirates recalled right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester and placed infielder Alika Williams on the 10-day IL due to a right wrist strain. This will be Priester’s second shot at the majors after going 0-4 with a 4.33 ERA in twenty-seven innings from April 19th to May 14th.
Prior to this series, the Pirates made several roster moves in response to their injury woes. They placed left-handed pitcher Martin Perez and catcher Joey Bart on the injured list but reactivated key player Ke’Bryan Hayes and selected catcher Grant Koch from Triple-A Indianapolis, indicating their strategy to maintain a competitive lineup.
Hayes, who was dealing with lower back inflammation, was hitting .240 with a homer and 11 RBIs over 129 at-bats when he went on the IL on May 11th.
The 27-year-old Koch went 9-for-54 (.167) with two doubles, one home run, and five RBIs in 17 games this season with Triple-A Indianapolis before being added to the Major League taxi squad on May 22nd
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