The Pittsburgh Pirates struggles in the month of June have been evident. The team holds a 5-17 record this month and are coming off of yet another series loss at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. However, with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town, the Pirates schedule isn’t getting any easier.
The Pirates (34-39) continue to lose ground in the National League Central standings, sitting 14 games behind the Chicago Cubs and five games behind the second place St Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers (41-33) are six games behind the Giants in the NL West race and currently own the first wild card spot in the NL.
Having lost 13 of their last 15 games, the Pirates continue to search for ways to win ballgames. They’ve endured injuries to key players and their pitching staff has struggled, but the road ahead doesn’t seem to be very bright. The Pirates enter a four game series against LA and, like San Francisco, this series isn’t exactly going to be a cake walk.
With any series, there are matchups to keep an eye on when it comes to pitching and the offensive side of the ball. This series is no different. Here are our matchups to watch for this weekend’s four game set.
3.) Jameson Taillon vs Corey Seager
Tonight, Jameson Taillon makes his fourth career major league start against the Dodgers. Taillon, who was exceptional in his first two outings against the New York Mets, had some trouble in his last start against the Cubs, allowing four runs in four innings of work. Taillon had some issues with the long ball, allowing three home runs in the start, but also had his strikeout pitch working again, punching out five.
With Gerrit Cole still on the disabled list, Taillon has been given the opportunity to become a bigger part of the Pirates rotation. However, with the struggles of the rest of the rotation, Taillon’s role tonight will be the role of stopper, usually taken on by the staff ace. It’s hard to ask such a thing from a guy making only his fourth big league start, but it’s the reality for a team that is currently trending downward.
While Taillon is one of the young stars for the Bucs, Corey Seager, who is in his first full MLB season, has emerged as a superstar in LA. This season, the 22-year old is hitting .289 with 16 home runs and 37 RBI’s in 73 games with the Dodgers.
Seager, the brother of Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, is 2-for-11 in his career against the Pirates with one home run and two RBI’s. He has never faced Taillon, but this should be an interesting matchup to watch. Both players are young, talented prospects for their respective organizations and while Seager has proven to be a star with the Dodgers, Taillon is still making a name for himself in Pittsburgh.
Taillon faces yet another tough test as he looks to maintain the Dodgers lineup, but Seager will likely be one of the toughest opponents he will face. Be sure to stay tuned to tonight’s ballgame because this won’t be a matchup you will want to miss.
2.) Jeff Locke vs Chase Utley
I don’t know who Jeff Locke is anymore. Throughout his career, Locke has shown inconsistency, but this year it’s at an all time high. After two rough outings in which he allowed a combined 18 earned runs, the Pirates lefty pitched a gem on Monday, going 6.2 shutout innings while beating Giants Ace Madison Bumgarner in the process.
Locke, who is 6-5 with a 5.44 ERA this season, has been particularly stellar at home, compiling a 4-1 record with a 3.26 ERA in six starts at PNC Park.
When it comes to the Dodgers, Locke hasn’t had much success. In five career appearances (four starts) against the club, he is 1-3 with a 4.07 ERA; however, he has limited his walks to only six in 24.1 innings.
One particular hitter that I’m intrigued to see Locke face is Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley. This season, Utley is having a stellar season considering the various injury issues he has had throughout his career, hitting .262 with five home runs and 25 RBI’s in 64 games.
In his career against Locke, Utley is only hitting .125 in eight at-bats. He also hits worse against lefties throughout his career, hitting .258 compared to his .289 average against right handers. This season in particular, Utley is hitting .200 against lefties compared to a .274 clip against righties.
It’s not entirely known what Jeff Locke the Pirates will be getting when he steps on the mound tomorrow night against the Dodgers. However, if his home statistics as well as Utley’s struggles against lefties are any indication, it’s possible that Locke may have another solid outing and some success against the veteran second baseman.
1.) Chris Stewart vs Clayton Kershaw
This matchup in particular has been one that I have talked about before and it seems to work out in the Pirates favor more often than not.
As we all know, Clayton Kershaw is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball. This season, he is once again having a Cy Young caliber year, compiling a 11-1 record with a National League best 1.57 ERA in 15 starts. Kershaw also leads the NL with 141 strikeouts in 115 innings pitched.
Since entering the league in 2008, Kershaw has been one of the most consistent pitchers in all of baseball, while dominating any hitter that steps into the batters box. However, his kryptonite may reside in the form of an unlikely Pirates backstop.
With the injury to Francisco Cervelli, catchers such as Erik Kratz and Jacob Stallings have had to fill in behind the plate. Despite having some injury issues of his own, Chris Stewart has also had to lead this trio of catchers, at least until Cervelli returns to the diamond. However, even if Cervelli was healthy at this point in time, Stewart still might find himself behind the plate Sunday night when Kershaw takes the mound.
I know this may sound crazy since Stewart is only hitting .205 with one home run and six RBI’s this season, but the veteran catcher has owned Kershaw throughout his career. In 14 career at-bats against Kershaw, Stewart has seven hits, compiling a .500 batting average, along with one home run and two RBI’s. It was also just one year ago in which Stewart faced Kershaw and went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.
With the injury issues that Stewart has faced in the last few weeks, it may be insane to think that he can continue his upward trend against a superstar like Kershaw. However, the numbers don’t lie. Though it will be interesting to see stars like Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco face the former Cy Young Winner, Stewart may be an underrated difference maker on Sunday night.
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