This Thursday the (80-35) Los Angeles Dodgers and the (62-53) Milwaukee Brewers will play their final game of this four-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 2:10 PM EST inside American Family Field. These two teams split the first two games of the series, as the Brewers were able to get the win in extra innings in game two.
The Los Angeles Dodgers came into this one after battling with the Kansas City Royals. The Dodgers took two of three games, as this was their fifth consecutive series win. They have had it rolling on both sides of the field since returning from the All-Star Break, as not many teams have figured out how to take them down.
The Milwaukee Brewers entered this one after losing their previous series to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers struggled at the dish in two of three games, as they only scored four combined runs in their two losses. They have to be better at the plate in this one if they want to challenge the Dodgers in the final game of this series.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the past month. They are (13-2) in their last 15 games played, as they are extremely tough to beat right now. They are also still in first place in the NL Playoff race and they have a 17.0 game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West. At the plate, the Dodgers are scoring 5.42 runs per game and they are hitting .260 as a team. This is the most runs scored per game and the third highest overall team batting average. They have one of the deepest batting lineups in the MLB, as the Dodgers have faith in each one of their players to reach base safely each time they step up to the plate. Los Angeles has also shown that they can score multiple different ways throughout these games. They are hitting 1.36 home runs per game, which is the fifth most in the league. They can string together multiple hits in order to create a big inning or they can clear the bases with a moonshot over the outfield walls. This team is extremely tough to stop at the plate and they will do whatever it takes to push their base runners closer to home plate. They have already stolen 74 bases this season, which is the seventh most. They are an aggressive offensive team, as they are always looking to score.
According to MLB.com, Andrew Heaney will be getting the start on the mound in this one. He hasn't seen a ton of time on the mound this season, but he is still (1-0) with a 1.16 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has looked a lot better as of late, though. His team has won four of his last five starts but he struggled the last time he was on the mound. He only pitched for 3.0 innings and gave up three hits and two earned runs to the Royals. I don't expect him to pitch deep into this game either, as the Dodgers bullpen has been solid all season. They are allowing 3.11 runs per game, which is the fourth least in the MLB. Scoring on their relievers and c losers is not an easy task, as the Dodgers have multiple guys that can come into the game and shut down the opposing offense. As a team, the Dodgers are only allowing 3.23 runs per game this season, as this is the least amount of runs allowed per game. Los Angeles has been getting the job done on both sides of the field.