The Los Angeles Dodgers (12-11, 11-12 RL, 12-10-1 O/U) battle the Pittsburgh Pirates (16-7, 15-9 RL, 9-13-1 O/U) in the opening bout of a three-game NL series on Tuesday evening. The Dodgers will have veteran Noah Syndergaard on the hill. The Pirates will reply with Johan Oviedo. The Pirates went 5-1 against the Dodgers last season.
Noah Syndergaard will take the mound for the fifth time of the season. Syndergaard was solid in his previous start, limiting the Mets to only two runs in six innings, but he had no help from the offense and was hit with the loss to plummet to 0-3. The veteran right-hander has conceded three or fewer runs in three of his four performances and has registered a 4.91 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 22 innings pitched on the year. Syndergaard has silenced the Pirates in his career, sporting a sharp 2.73 ERA and a 2-2 record in five career meetings.
The Dodgers enter this series with confidence after earning three wins in four meetings against the Cubs on the weekend, marking their first road series win of the season. They have been inconsistent. LA was clobbered in a 13-0 loss on Friday and replied with a 9-4 and 7-3 victory at Wrigley Field. The bullpen has been exploited, ranking 25th with a 5.05 ERA.
Back-to-back jacks! pic.twitter.com/CNnvzxhcBW
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 23, 2023
Max Muncy continues to lead the offense. The 32-year-old slugger has delivered four home runs along with six RBIs in his last four games and now has 11 bombs along with 21 RBIs and a dazzling 1.1 OPS. Muncy has shined against the Pirates, launching six homers with 13 RBIs in 21 career meetings.
The Dodgers are scoring an average of 5.26 runs per game, good for fifth. The pitching staff is carrying a 4.37 team ERA, placing them 18th.