The Los Angeles Dodgers (90-33, 79-49 RL, 52-64-12 O/U) take on the New York Mets (82-48, 71-59 RL, 63-59-8 O/U) in an NL showdown on Thursday afternoon. The Dodgers will give the nod to Clayton Kershaw. The Mets will reply with veteran Chris Bassitt, aiming for his fifth home win. The Dodgers lead the season series 3-2 entering Wednesday.
The Dodgers will have Clayton Kershaw make his return from the IL on Thursday. Kershaw last pitched on August 4th, allowing two runs (one earned) in four innings against the Giants, and finished with a no-decision. The southpaw has been on the IL a few times this season but is having another fine year, recording a 2.64 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP accompanied by a 7-3 record in 85.1 innings pitched. Kershaw has completely dominated the Mets in his career, amassing a 2.19 ERA and a 10-0 record.
The Dodgers resume a seven-game road trek. They were involved in close games against the Marlins and ended up winning three of the four meetings. LA is 8-2 in their last ten games and it appears they will finish with the best record. They are 4-1 in their last five road bouts.
Tr ea Turner had a productive series against the Mets in June, going 5 for 16 with three RBIs but went 0 for 5 on Tuesday. The 29-year-old is having a remarkable season, clubbing 18 homers with 86 RBIs and an .834 OPS. Turner has cooled down a bit, posting a .770 OPS in August.
The Dodgers lead the way with an average of 5.39 runs per game. The pitching staff is dominant, posting a 2.83 team ERA which is also first.