Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
PIT	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	4	8	1
LAD	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	6	0

Bubba Chandler (6-8, 4.23 ERA) gets the ball for Pittsburgh at 7:10 PM PT, and the season-long number is misleading — he's been running a sub-2.60 ERA over his last six starts and has held opponents to 2 earned runs or fewer in 13 outings this year. He draws Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.60 ERA), who struck out 9 in 6 innings against Milwaukee his last time out. Whatever else this series is, it opens with two arms that are legitimately dealing.

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FINAL

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Total

Pirates(63-66)

WWLWL

4

-1.5+355+213o9.5+182

Dodgers(77-51)

WWWLL

5

+1.5-355-223u9.5-182

Best BetDodgers -217

Pregame

The Dodgers are the right side here even with the bullpen questions — Yamamoto is pitching like a true ace and the Pittsburgh lineup is down two regulars. LA's won 3 straight and just handled Colorado with ease, and that offense should be able to build enough of a cushion that Diaz's absence doesn't matter.

The bigger story in LA might be the bullpen behind Yamamoto. Closer Edwin Diaz landed on the 15-day IL with neck inflammation, and he'd been running an ugly ERA well before that — Tanner Scott inherits the high-leverage innings in the meantime. The catching corps is banged up too, with Hunter Feduccia day-to-day and both Dalton Rushing and Will Smith still working back from injury, so Dodger Stadium isn't the fortress it usually is behind the plate or in the 8th inning.

Bubba Chandler

(6-8)·4.38 ERA

Aug 14 vs Red Sox

W

5.0IP

2ER

5K

2BB

87P

08/21 Lineup

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

(12-7)·2.61 ERA

Aug 14 vs Brewers

W

6.0IP

1ER

9K

2BB

97P

08/21 Lineup

Pittsburgh isn't fully healthy either — Ryan O'Hearn (quad) and Endy Rodriguez (hip) are both out, thinning a lineup that already needs every bat it can get against a Dodgers rotation missing Tyler Glasnow and Bobby Miller. These two clubs actually met in a September series last year, and the Pirates left Dodger Stadium having swept it — a result that turned into a footnote once LA ripped off a 15-5 finish and repeated as World Series champs, but it's a reminder Pittsburgh has given this roster trouble before.

Pittsburgh Pirates

(63-66)

Aug 19Wvs Tigers4-3

Aug 18Wvs Tigers4-1

Aug 17Lvs Tigers5-8

Aug 16Wvs Red Sox8-3

Aug 15Lvs Red Sox0-4

Los Angeles Dodgers

(77-51)

Aug 20W@ Rockies6-4

Aug 19W@ Rockies7-6

Aug 18W@ Rockies11-5

Aug 16Lvs Brewers2-6

Aug 15Lvs Brewers1-4

Both teams arrive playing well, just from different starting points. The Pirates have won 2 straight and taken 2 of 3 from Detroit, a modest climb for a club still under .500. The Dodgers, at 77-51, have won 3 in a row and just swept a 3-game set in Colorado after dropping 2 to Milwaukee the week before — the kind of form that papers over a still-unsettled bullpen.

Pittsburgh Pirates

(4)

• 10-Day-ILEndy Rodriguez (C) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that Rodriguez is gathering a second opinion on his left hip injury, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.08/17
• 10-Day-ILRyan O'Hearn (RF) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that O'Hearn (quadriceps) has been cleared to play catch and take some swings in the batting cage, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.08/17
• 60-Day-ILKonnor Griffin (SS) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that Griffin has been cleared to transition out of the splint he had been wearing on his injured left ring finger, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.08/17
• 60-Day-ILMitch Keller (SP) — The Pirates placed Keller on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a right arm teres major muscle injury.08/03

Los Angeles Dodgers

(14)

• Day-To-DayHunter Feduccia (C) — Feduccia (illness) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.08/19
• 10-Day-ILDalton Rushing (C) — Rushing (elbow) participated in batting practice at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.08/15
• 15-Day-ILEdwin Diaz (RP) — Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that MRI results on Diaz's neck revealed no additional damage, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.08/19
• 15-Day-ILJustin Wrobleski (SP) — The Dodgers placed Wrobleski on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to left forearm inflammation.08/16
• 15-Day-ILWill Klein (RP) — Klein underwent an MRI that revealed bone chips in his elbow, and the Dodgers are now deciding the next steps for his recovery, with surgery being an option, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.08/09
• 60-Day-ILBobby Miller (SP) — Miller (shoulder) struck out three and allowed two hits and one walk over three scoreless innings in a rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.08/18
• 60-Day-ILTyler Glasnow (SP) — Glasnow (back) is scheduled to make another minor-league rehab start Wednesday, and he could then rejoin the Dodgers' rotation during a road trip that begins Aug. 25 and ends Aug. 30, MLB.com reports.08/18
• 60-Day-ILBlake Treinen (RP) — Treinen (elbow) kicked off a minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Ontario on Saturday, MLB.com reports. He tossed a scoreless and hitless inning while striking out two batters.08/18
• 60-Day-ILWill Smith (C) — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Smith (neck) will begin a rehab assignment next week if the catcher's workouts go well this week, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.08/17
• 60-Day-ILGavin Stone (SP) — Stone (shoulder) pitched three innings, allowing one run on one hit and a walk while striking out five batters in a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.08/14
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (shoulder/elbow) is hoping to begin a minor-league rehab assignment around early September, MLB.com reports.08/10
• 60-Day-ILBen Casparius (RP) — Casparius (shoulder) made the third appearance of his rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing one earned run on no hits and four walks while recording just one out.08/02
• 60-Day-ILBrusdar Graterol (RP) — Graterol (shoulder) underwent surgery recently for a back injury he suffered while on a rehab assignment, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.06/01
• 60-Day-ILJake Cousins (RP) — The Dodgers transferred Cousins (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.05/08

Neither team plays anyone else before this one, so what you see is what shows up on the field tonight. For the Dodgers, it's about protecting a division cushion and getting healthy arms back before October; for the Pirates, it's playing spoiler against a team that's dealt with real injury attrition of its own. Chandler-Yamamoto is a fair fight even if the win totals aren't.