After a series win at home against the San Diego Padres, the Pittsburgh Pirates head west for a six game road trip in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Tonight, that trip starts with game one of a three game weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (57-55) continue their up and down 2016 season. The Bucs, who have had their struggles in the past against teams under .500, maintain a stellar record and sit amongst the contenders for the second Wild Card spot in the National League. The Pirates are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (64-50) are arguably one of the best teams in the National League and currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the NL. The Dodgers are still in the NL West race, trailing the San Francisco Giants by one game. The Dodgers have won six of their last 10 games coming into tonight.
Anytime two contenders get together, there are bound to be interesting matchups to keep an eye on. This series will be no exception. Here are our three matchups to watch for this three game set:
3.) Ivan Nova vs Josh Reddick
On Aug. 6, Pirates fans were introduced to Ivan Nova as the right hander made his team debut against the Cincinnati Reds. Nova was one of the Pirates key acquisitions at the Trade Deadline and had a good first outing as a Bucco.
The 29-year old, who spent the first six and a half seasons of his major league career with the New York Yankees, dominated the Reds lineup. Nova allowed three earned runs on six hits while striking out five in seven innings. Despite allowing two home runs to Brandon Phillips, Nova also showed tremendous command on the mound, something that a lot of fans were impressed with as he threw 56 of his 76 pitches for strikes.
@pbcbreakdown NOT the / HRs lol…but I’d say the 7 innings, and then the 0 walks
— Josh (@JJHuffman45) August 12, 2016
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@pbcbreakdown Definitely 0 walks and nice to get 7 innings too. But he seemed to be comfortable and he pitched his game. Very good control.
— BuccoFever☠ (@PirateNation22) August 12, 2016
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@pbcbreakdown 7 innings with 0 walks. Throw strikes, Babe Ruth‘s dead!
— Scott Kliesen (@skliesen) August 12, 2016
Nova looks to build upon that stellar outing as he takes the mound tonight against the Dodgers. Nova has never faced the Dodgers in his career, but there will be a familiar face in LA’s lineup.
One of the Dodgers key deadline acquisitions was outfielder Josh Reddick, who they acquired from the Oakland Athletics. Reddick has faced Nova on a few occasions and should provide an interesting matchup for the new Pirates starter.
In his career against Nova, Reddick is 5-for-13 (.385) with two home runs, two RBI, two doubles and two runs scored. Reddick faced him 10 times in 2010 and 2012 combined, but has gone 1-for-3 with a home run against him this season.
Despite this success against Nova, Reddick has had a tough time acclimating to his new team. In eight games for LA, Reddick is 4-for-32 (.125) with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Nova will have the tough task of facing a lineup that is hefty with left handed hitters. Nova has a 4.43 ERA against lefties this season and will have a prime opportunity to lower that number.
Nova does seem to look more composed as a Pirate and the change of scenery so far seems to be working for him. It will be interesting to see if he can avoid struggles against Reddick and build upon his last start to keep up his winning ways.
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2.) Gerrit Cole vs Corey Seager
Since coming off of the disabled list after the all star break, Gerrit Cole has made five starts for the Pirates. In those five starts, he is 2-3 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He has also compiled 28 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.
Despite giving up four earned runs in his last start against Cincinnati, a team that he has historically struggled against, Cole has arguably returned to his ace form.
Cole takes the mound tomorrow night in LA and comes into the start with a 3-0 record and a 4.32 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers.
Cole has had good success against a few of the Dodgers stars in his career, holding Adrian Gonzalez and Yasmani Grandal to just one hit in 14 combined at-bats. However, one matchup that should be highlighted on the scorecards should be the one between Cole and NL Rookie of the Year candidate Corey Seager.
Seager has had an MVP like season as a rookie for the Dodgers, hitting .305 with 21 home runs, 55 RBI and a .360 On-Base Percentage in 110 games this season. Seager is one of the many left handed bats in this Dodgers lineup and should serve as a legitimate threat in this series.
The 22-year old Dodgers shortstop is 1-for-3 (.333) with a double and a strikeout in his career against Cole. All three of those plate appearances occurred last season.
Lefties are hitting .294 against Cole this season so it will be interesting to see how he approaches facing Seager and this dangerous Dodgers lineup.
1.) Chad Kuhl vs Justin Turner
On June 26, Chad Kuhl made his major league debut against the Dodgers. On that night, the 23-year old also picked up his first major league win, out dueling Clayton Kershaw in a game broadcast nationally on ESPN.
In his first start, Kuhl allowed three earned runs on four hits while walking four and striking out five in five innings. That night, Kuhl was incredibly composed; however, he did struggle against one batter in particular: Justin Turner.
Turner went 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI and a walk against the Pirates rookie and will likely provide another interesting matchup to watch as Kuhl takes the mound in the series finale of Sunday.
Turner is having an excellent season for the Dodgers, hitting .275 with 21 home runs, 67 RBI and a .342 OBP in 109 games. He has also been good for LA as of late, hitting .305 in his last 15 contests with three home runs and nine RBI.
Kuhl is unbeaten in his major league career, holding a 2-0 record along with a 3.91 ERA in five starts. Kuhl has only allowed two home runs in those five starts and will likely need to improve on his 3.20 BB/9 rate in order to compete against this tough Dodgers lineup.
Kuhl has a perfect opportunity as he gets to face a team he is familiar with and a player in Turner that he will likely seek revenge against.
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