Los Angeles @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 13, 2012 ) LA Dodgers 5, Pittsburgh 4
If this week's four-game set between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates turns out to be a postseason preview, it bodes well for the Dodgers, who have won seven straight meetings after holding on for a 5-4 victory in the series opener at PNC Park. Los Angeles improved to 4-0 against the Pirates this season and pulled even with the San Francisco Giants atop the National League West, getting a homer and three RBIs from recent acquisition Shane Victorino.
The Dodgers hope right-hander Chad Billingsley can continue his recent turnaround by resuming his dominance against Pittsburgh. He is 6-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 11 appearances (seven starts) against the Pirates, including a win April 11 in which he allowed one run over six innings. The Pirates turn to Kevin Correia to stop a rare rough patch at home. They've lost five of their last seven at PNC Park, where their 36-21 record is the second-best home mark in the majors.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, KCAL, ROOT Sports Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Chad Billingsley (8-9, 3.84 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Kevin Correia (9-6, 4.49)
Billingsley has turned his season around by winning his last four starts and now seems poised for his fifth straight season with double-digit wins. Billingsley put together three consecutive dominant outings before coming back to reality a bit Wednesday against Colorado and allowing four runs over 6 1/3 innings, but he still picked up the win.
Correia is set for his second spot start since it was announced he would move to the bullpen. He held Arizona to four runs (three earned) over six innings Wednesday for his career-best seventh straight win. Correia is 5-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 26 games (12 starts) against the Dodgers. He faced them in his first outing of the season April 10, allowing one run and four hits over six innings in a no-decision.
WALK-OFFS
1. Victorino, who has hit safely in nine of 11 games since the Dodgers acquired him from Philadelphia, is riding a seven-game hit streak. He is 6-for-11 (.545) with a homer against Correia.
2. Pirates 1B/OF Garrett Jones had four hits Monday, raising his August batting average to .395 (15-for-38). He has boosted his average from .266 to .282 since the start of the month. Jones is 4-for-9 with five walks against Billingsley.
3. Dodgers OF Matt Kemp has recorded multiple hits in four of the past five games and has 26 multi-hit contests in 64 games he has played this season. But Kemp is 5-for-29 (.172) lifetime against Correia.